Russia has invented an AI assistant for cardiac surgeons

Students of the Physics and Mathematics Institute of Perm State National Research University (PSNIU) have developed a solution based on artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D technology to help cardiac surgeons. This was reported to Izvestia by the National Technology Initiative (NTI) Project Support Fund on March 10.

It is an application that analyzes images of heart vessels, builds digital 3D models of them and simulates operations.

The foundation clarified that Russia does not have fully domestic intelligent systems for helping cardiac surgeons, although the industry needs them. The developers expect that the intelligent system will be able to improve the quality of treatment, reduce the burden on doctors and reduce the preparation time for surgery from several days to half an hour.

"When preparing for surgery on the heart vessels, the surgeon relies on X-ray contrast images. They are flat, in 2D — this is the only option available at the moment in practice. The system that we have developed reads the flat images uploaded into it and converts them into a 3D model of the heart vessels. This model is easier to work with," said project leader Alexander Osipov.

With the help of an intelligent system, the doctor will be able to simulate a heart operation, for example, install new bypass vessels, calculate the operation scenario. The medical decision support system will offer optimal treatment tactics, taking into account the individual anatomical characteristics of the patient. This will allow doctors to make decisions based on data, reduce training time and minimize risks, the foundation explained.

Earlier, on February 14, Andrey Varivoda, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the DEACON Group of Companies, told Izvestia that artificial intelligence is becoming an integral part of Russian healthcare, transforming traditional approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. He clarified that there are more than 30 AI-based services for analyzing medical images in Russia. The systems help doctors to detect oncological diseases and lung pathologies in the early stages.