Report: GE Healthcare chooses UH to clinically evaluate first-of-its-kind imaging system

CLEVELAND — GE Healthcare (GEHC) chose University Hospitals (UH) Cleveland Medical Center in November of 2019 as the first hospital in the US to evaluate its new mobile x-ray system enabled with Critical Care Suite, the world’s first on-device AI solution for triage & notification of critical findings and quality errors. The tool is designed to quickly identify and prioritize cases such as pneumothorax (collapsed lung), which is crucial as ICUs see an increase in patients during the COVID-19 crisis.

When a lung doesn’t inflate, it can’t bring oxygen into the bloodstream or remove carbon dioxide from the body. A person with a collapsed lung may experience shortness of breath, discomfort when breathing or chest pain on one side. In severe cases, a person may go into shock, which is a life-threatening condition. A chest x-ray is needed to confirm pneumothorax, but patients also need a rapid diagnosis.

Radiologists at UH Cleveland Medical Center read dozens of images every day. This process takes several hours. To assist them, GEHC’s Critical Care Suite software acts as artificial intelligence on board the AMX 240 mobile x-ray unit. Once a chest x-ray is taken, it recognizes if a patient has a collapsed lung and flags the image for immediate reading, helping set the patient on a rapid path to treatment.

“Employing this equipment means better care for our patients,” said Amit Gupta, MD, Modality Director, Diagnostic Radiography and Principal Investigator on the project. “It’s now not just the humans working for them; now the machines are assisting in the patient’s welfare. This improves workflow as well as patient care.”

“The Critical Care suite is an exciting innovation in cardiothoracic imaging. It represents a close clinical and research partnership between GEHC and University Hospitals that spans almost 20 years,” said Robert “Chip” Gilkeson, MD, Director, Cardiovascular Imaging Center and Vice Chairman of Research.

“Today there are a multitude of AI algorithms being developed, but very few solutions seamlessly integrate into actual clinical workflow. GEHC selected UH to be the first USA pilot site because of the extensive research relationship, progressive IT and Radiologist teams looking to integrate AI to improve workflow, and the center of excellence for cardiothoracic care,” said Katelyn Nye, GM, Global Mobile Radiography & Artificial Intelligence at GE Healthcare.

As the first adopter of this technology in the US, UH clinically evaluated the workflow and performance of this on-device AI technology and independently gauged the sensitivity of the algorithm used to detect critical findings to help them confirm the benefit to their patients.

Dr. Gupta and Dr. Gilkeson completed the evaluation phase for the Critical Care Suite in December, and the technology is now in daily clinical practice – flagging between seven to 15 collapsed lungs per day within the hospital. No one on the team could have predicted the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this technology and future research with GEHC may enhance the capability to improve care for COVID-19 patients in the ICU. Critical Care Suite is now assisting in COVID and non-COVID patient care as the AMX 240 travels to intensive care units within the hospital.

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Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 18 hospitals, more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located in Cleveland’s University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The main campus also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women’s Hospital, Ohio’s only hospital for women; University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, a high-volume national referral center for complex cardiovascular procedures; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women’s health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals – part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with 28,000 physicians and employees.

Advancing the Science of Health and the Art of Compassion is UH’s vision for benefitting its patients into the future, and the organization’s unwavering mission is To Heal. To Teach. To Discover. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook @UniversityHospitals and Twitter @UHhospitals. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.