GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) today unveiled a new artificial intelligence algorithm for assessing endotracheal tube (ETT) placements in COVID-19 patients.
Included in GE Healthcare’s Critical Care Suite 2.0, the AI solution helps clinicians assess the ETT placements during the process of ventilating critically ill COVID-19 patients, according to a news release.
Critical Care Suite 2.0 uses AI to automatically detect ETTs in chest x-ray images, providing an accurate and automated measurement of ETT positioning to clinicians within seconds of image acquisition. In 94% of cases, the ET tube tip-to-Carina distance calculation is accurate within 1 cm, GE Healthcare said.
When a patient is scanned on a device with Critical Care Suite 2.0, the system automatically analyzes images and sends alerts for cases with a suspected pneumothorax to the radiologist to review, cutting down on the time for which a chest x-ray image may wait for a radiologist’s review.
The suite is embedded on a mobile x-ray device to give hospitals a way to try AI without making investments into additional IT infrastructure, making the AI suite more accessible.
“Today, clinicians are overwhelmed, experiencing mounting pressure as a result of an ever-increasing number of patients,” said GE Healthcare president & CEO of imaging Jan Makela said in the release. “The pandemic has proven what we already knew – that data, AI and connectivity are central to helping those on the front lines deliver intelligently efficient care. GE Healthcare is not only providing new tools to help hospital staff keep up with demand without compromising diagnostic precision, but also leading the way on COVID-era advancements that will have a long-lasting impact on the industry, long after the pandemic ends.”