Bay Area surgeon says AI is advancing rapidly into hospitals and operating rooms
Artificial intelligence is already making its way into hospitals, where doctors say it could be a game changer impacting everything from diagnostics to treatment to research.
In Dr. Allan Conway's operating room, the day starts with a good old fashioned scrub, a classic ritual for a surgery that's anything but traditional.
A leading vascular surgeon at Marin Health Medical Center, Conway is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence to treat aneurysms, known as the silent killer.
"It's exciting. It can analyze and help us identify exactly where the aneurysm is," Conway said.
According to the Society for Vascular Surgery, every year, roughly 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with abdominal aortic aneurysms, which occur when a segment of the body's largest blood vessel becomes enlarged. Left untreated, it could lead to internal bleeding and death.
On this particular morning, Conway was about to operate on 81-year-old Gary Sweeden, who was rushed to the operating rooms after doctors discovered he had two aneurysms.
"It was very scary I was very anxious to get it repaired," said Sweeden.
But unlike the countless surgeries he's performed in the past, Dr. Conway is using state-of-the-art AI technology called Cydar Maps, which creates a detailed 3D image of the patient's anatomy.
"Before, we had to do a lot of X-rays, inject a lot of X-ray dye to show us this map. Now we know exactly where the aorta is, we know where the aneurysm is," Conway said.
The AI images of the aneurysm are projected onto the operating room screens, giving doctors a clear view of the problem in real time.
The healthcare industry is on the brink of a technological revolution, with AI poised to reshape decision making before, after, and even during surgical procedures.
Dr. Curt Langlotz, the director of the Center for AI in Medicine and Imaging at Stanford University said this new technology holds a lot of promise, as long as it's used responsibly.
"This newest wave of AI is so much more powerful and useful. We need to make sure to protect the privacy of patients and then we need to make sure to assess the accuracy and performance of each system," he said.
As for Sweeden, his operation was a success. So much so, that he's already making post-surgery plans.
"The first thing I want to do is go fishing," he said.