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Brandon Keys, BS, RVS

Your PERT Team and AI: A Powerful Combination

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a complex and life-threatening condition that demands swift action and multidisciplinary collaboration. Pulmonary embolism response teams (PERTs) are a transformative innovation in PE care, providing a coordinated framework to improve clinical decision-making, streamline workflows and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Now, with AI-enabled tools, PERT teams are unlocking new levels of efficiency and effectiveness in PE management.

What is a PERT?

A PERT is a multidisciplinary group of specialists brought together to address the challenges of managing acute PE cases. These teams develop advanced treatment strategies, often involving cardiologists, radiologists, pulmonologists, hematologists and other experts. 

The Challenges for PERTs and How AI Helps

Traditional PERT workflows can be limited by variability and manual processes. This is where AI-powered workflows can change the game. 

AI can help with PE risk stratification, flag abnormalities and streamline consultations. Data shows that AI can increase PERT consultations by more than 2.5x in spoke facilities and 1.4x in hubs, significantly improving time-to-treatment and patient outcomes.

Despite these advancements, up to 75% of intermediate- to high-risk PE patients still do not receive PERT consultation, leaving many without access to advanced therapeutic options. AI-integrated systems ensure that more patients benefit from these multidisciplinary resources.

The Role of the PERT Team in Pulmonary Embolism Care

Mortality Risk Following Acute PE

Acute PE is associated with a staggering mortality rate—30% if untreated, compared to 8% for diagnosed and treated cases. Up to 10% of acute PE patients die suddenly, emphasizing the importance of timely identification and intervention.

Managing PE is especially challenging due to the variability of symptoms and the complexity of clinical risk profiles. Without timely and accurate PE risk stratification, care can be fragmented, leading to delays in treatment and prolonged hospital stays.

The PERT Team and Risk Stratification

Risk stratification plays a critical role in identifying which PE cases require PERT intervention. AI-powered workflows improve stratification accuracy by integrating real-time data such as RV/LV ratios and lab values. This ensures that PERT activations are both timely and justified.

However, some AI can cause PE alert fatigue, a common issue where specialists become desensitized to frequent notifications. By applying advanced thresholds and live data integrations, appropriately configured AI minimizes unnecessary alerts while ensuring that critical cases are flagged promptly.

Risk stratification typically involves:

  1. Identifying hemodynamic instability (e.g., low blood pressure) to prioritize urgent intervention.
  2. Estimating 30-day mortality risks using scoring systems like the Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI).

This structured approach ensures that the most at-risk patients receive appropriate care, avoiding overactivation of PERT resources while improving clinical outcomes.

The PERT Team’s Role in PE Care

At its core, the PERT model improves communication among specialists, ensures consensus-driven decisions and expands access to advanced therapeutic options such as catheter-directed thrombolysis. By facilitating collaboration across disciplines, PERTs enable more nuanced and effective care plans, particularly for complex cases where balancing risks is critical.

The Impact of PERT Teams on Patient Outcomes

PERTs deliver measurable benefits in PE care. Registry data indicates that implementing a PERT model increases the use of appropriate advanced interventions without raising the risk of complications such as bleeding. Moreover, international guidelines now support formalized pathways for multidisciplinary collaboration, further validating the efficacy of PERT systems.

The expansion of PERT frameworks globally highlights their success in improving both operational efficiency and patient outcomes, setting a new standard for PE care.

The Future of PERT Teams With AI

AI is reshaping the future of PE management. By addressing challenges such as symptom variability and communication gaps, AI enables PERT teams to make faster, more informed decisions. 

For example, AI-driven platforms provide:

  • Seamless data integration: Consolidating imaging, lab vitals and clinical notes for comprehensive case reviews.
  • Automated triage: Flagging high-risk and prioritizing them for immediate PERT consultation.
  • Real-time notifications: Ensuring that the right specialists are alerted to critical cases without delay. 

These advancements are particularly valuable as clinical science evolves. AI ensures that decision-making processes remain agile and evidence-based, even as new management strategies emerge.

Aidoc’s always-on AI, for instance, enhances disease awareness, triage and communication within PERT workflows. By fostering a systematic, multidisciplinary approach, AI helps ensure that patients with PE receive timely and personalized care.

A Vision for AI-Powered PERT Teams

The integration of AI into PERT workflows represents a pivotal moment in PE care. With its ability to streamline processes, improve risk stratification and support multidisciplinary collaboration, AI amplifies the impact of PERT teams, driving better outcomes for patients.

As healthcare continues to embrace innovation, the combination of PERT expertise and AI’s capabilities sets a new standard for managing pulmonary embolism—a partnership that is as powerful as it is promising.

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Brandon Keys, BS, RVS