AI Used to Analyze X-Rays of Patients Suspected Of Being Infected With COVID-19 – Alianta – Strengthening the Romanian American Alliance

XVision, a medical platform that analyzes lung X-rays using artificial intelligence, started to be used for the identification of the patients with lung injuries, associated with COVID-19. The solution, offered pro-bono, became part of the mobile laboratories for the detection of coronavirus, located in the outdoor spaces of the Institute of Pneumophysiology “Marius Nasta” in Bucharest, respectively of the Emergency Reception Units of the Emergency Clinical County Hospital in Timisoara.

This new way of medical triage will reduce the risk of contamination of other patients already admitted, but also of the medical staff. In addition, this MedTech solution supports the medical team in managing the extremely high workload during this period.

Thus, through a partnership facilitated by the Institute of Pneumophysiology “Marius Nasta” in Bucharest, XVision is used to support the triage of patients showing signs of infection with the SARS-COV-2 virus. This hospital unit has two mobile laboratories equipped with X-ray devices for tuberculosis detection. One of the laboratories was sent to the Timișoara County Hospital to facilitate the patients triage process. These mobile units will be used until the end of the pandemic to prioritize patients who require lung X-rays.

The triage system is based on an evaluation score developed by XVision’s radiologists’ team, benchmarked with the scores and standards used globally, at the time being. Based on the algorithm, it describes the similarities between the radiological patterns in the patient’s X-ray and those found in COVID-19 cases.

“Xvision is a system that can be replicated and adapted in other hospitals in Romania, too, being a real support for radiologists in managing the large volume of medical images and at the same time reducing the degree of infection of the medical staff. We are already discussing with a few hospitals that we could support during this period. We express our desire to help pro-bono as many as possible medical institutions that receive patients infected with this virus”, says Stefan Iarca, one of the co-founders of the XVision project.

As part of the triage, after the X-ray is done in the mobile lab, the XVision application provides a very quick result that is analyzed by the doctors, along with the initial X-ray. Based on it, a decision is made regarding the respective medical case. XVision detects signs of pneumonia, even in incipient form, and detects the degree of resemblance to the radiological pattern of pneumonia with that specific to COVID-19.

“For the County Clinical Emergency Hospital “Pius Brinzeu” from Timișoara, the collaboration with the Marius Nasta Pneumophysiology Institute in Bucharest is a welcome and helpful one for both the medical staff and the patients who arrive in the Emergency Receiving Unit within the healthcare unit. The engineers from XVision, with whom the hospital has already implemented an artificial intelligence program in the Radiology Laboratory, have the opportunity to test this platform, which has proven to be useful for the imaging diagnoses investigated within the Radiology Section, as well as within the mobile caravan, which arrived with us at the end of last week.

Our goal is to minimize the risk of contamination for both patients and medical personnel who are in the front line in the battle with Covid-19, beyond all the truly rigorous procedures we have set up and the protective equipment for all the medical staff and for the patients.

The program developed by XVision experts facilitates the work of radiologists, by accurately detecting lung lesions specific to the new coronavirus. Images provided by this software are viewed and checked in real time so that the diagnostic errors are minimal,” stated Asist. Univ. Dr. Raul Pătrașcu, Manager of the County Clinical Emergency Hospital “Pius Brinzeu” from Timișoara.

More details on how XVision platform can be used to evaluate X-rays of patients suspected of COVID-19 are available on the company’s website.

The application developed by XVision, is the first of its kind in Romania. It was implemented initially in the Timișoara County Hospital where it helps doctors analyze up to 200 lung X-rays per day, meaning 20% more than in the past.

Currently, the application generates data related exclusively to the chest area using digital X-rays as basic information. Currently the team is working on developing new algorithms that will be able to analyze chest and cranial CTs.

Source: Romanian Journal