September 19th marks Aortic Dissection Awareness Day, a global effort to raise awareness about this life-threatening condition. Aortic dissection (AD) occurs when a tear forms in the inner layer of the aorta – the body’s largest artery, responsible for transporting oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body – allowing blood to enter and split the vessel wall. If left untreated, the dissection can rupture, leading to death.
AD is divided into two subtypes: type A, which affects the ascending aorta – the segment that comes right off the left ventricle of the heart – and type B, which is an AD in the descending aorta. Type A dissections are particularly deadly, with a 1-2% rise in mortality every hour after the initial onset. Each year, thousands of people suffer from aortic dissection, and tragically, half of these individuals die before they reach hospital.
One of the biggest challenges in saving lives lies in the difficulty of diagnosing the condition in time. Around 33% of patients who do reach hospital are misdiagnosed or not treated quickly enough. AD often presents as sudden, severe chest pain, which can disappear, leading to the false assumption that the patient is stable. Routine tests in emergency departments can also come back normal, and without an CT scan, the dissection can go undetected. However, with timely diagnosis and treatment, survival rates can rise dramatically to 80%.
The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust is urging emergency departments to ask the question, “Could it be aortic dissection?” for every patient with chest pain and to consider a CT scan, ensuring no case is missed. But how can we further improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis? This is where AI can play a crucial role in AD clinical pathways.
AI for medical imaging can support healthcare teams in identifying AD by automatically alerting radiologists of suspected positive cases and rapidly alerting designated care teams. Aidoc’s Aortic Care AI solution integrates triage, notification and care coordination into a unified platform.
Triage and Notification: Aidoc’s AD AI algorithm automatically flags suspected positive cases to radiologists in CT scans, allowing these patients to be prioritised and reported on without delay.
Care Coordination: Once a case is flagged, relevant care teams can be notified via a secure mobile application, which includes all relevant clinical data and images, plus a secure chat functionality. This streamlined communication enables rapid decision-making and, ultimately, faster patient treatment.
Incidental Findings: Aidoc’s AI operates continuously in the background. If a CT scan is ordered for another reason and the relevant anatomy is present in the scan, the AI algorithm will flag a suspected AD and alert the medical team, facilitating rapid intervention.
With a projected rise in AD cases over the coming decades, the need for swift diagnosis and treatment will only increase. Alongside the valuable educational initiatives offered by the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust, AI offers healthcare professionals a further tool to improve outcomes and save lives by facilitating timely intervention.
For more information on Aidoc’s aortic solutions, please click here. To find out how they could work at your hospital, please book a consultation with one of our experts.
Aidoc experts, customers and industry leaders share the latest in AI benefits and adoption.
Explore how clinical AI can transform your health system with insights rooted in real-world experiences.
Learn how to go beyond the algorithm to develop a scalable AI strategy and implementation plan.
Explore how Aidoc can help increase hospital efficiency, improve outcomes and demonstrate ROI.
