AI spots it faster

Qure.ai started as a brilliant idea: how can AI make healthcare better? It found the answers in medical imaging, like X-rays and CT scans. Today, its AI is at work in over 1,600 hospitals across 75 countries, improving lives.

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a big problem in many countries. It is a major cause of death in low and middle-income countries. But diagnosing it can be tough when there aren’t enough experts around. One of Qure.ai’s first customers used X-ray-equipped vans to run mobile TB screening camps across the Philippines. No radiologists could travel with the screening teams, so the chest X-rays would only be collected for interpretation when the vans returned to base. That could mean weeks of delay before some patients could start treatment.

Lung cancer presents a unique diagnostic challenge, with approximately 85% of cases detected in the late stages. AI is changing that narrative. With 1.3 billion chest X-rays taken globally each year, the potential for early lung cancer detection is staggering. Qure.ai collaborated with the UK’s National Health Service and AstraZeneca, demonstrating AI’s ability to identify early-stage lung cancer nodules in X-rays, subsequently confirmed by CT scans. This breakthrough promises earlier diagnoses and improved outcomes.

These capabilities also impacted early in the COVID pandemic. With testing resources in short supply, their AI triage solution recognized abnormalities in chest X-rays, facilitating PCR testing and monitoring infection rates. It provided critical support in managing patient discharges from hospitals, showcasing the adaptability of AI in crises.

Stroke is another condition where every minute counts. Medics have two choices. If no bleeding is involved, they can give anticoagulant drugs in the emergency room to dissolve clots. They can coordinate the resources to send the patient for more complex surgery if bleeding is present. Ruling out bleeding is crucial before deciding which treatment to give, but this can take hours to do manually.

Qure.ai’s artificial intelligence can swiftly interpret CT scans to rule out bleeding, ensuring that more stroke patients receive prompt, accurate treatment, ultimately improving their chances of full recovery.

A Glimpse into the future of AI in healthcare

Qure.ai’s innovative approach extends beyond diagnosis. Areas they’re looking at include the early diagnosis of heart failure. A recent study has shown that recommendations from the Qure.ai algorithm helped identify 50 new heart failure patients from 5,000 routine chest X-rays.

They’re pioneering models’ that organizations can employ to create solutions, potentially giving medics access to AI-powered insights about medical images. Patients may even have the option to obtain AIgenerated reports alongside those from radiographers. As regulations evolve, we could witness fully automated screening processes for X-rays and blood tests, reducing the need for manual validation.

We may also see more fully automated screening processes for X-rays and blood tests, so there’s no need for a medical professional to sign off on each report. So far, regulations only allow this for TB screening, but surely other areas will follow.