GE Healthcare has secured 510k clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Ultra Edition package of Vivid cardiovascular ultrasound systems. The Vivid Ultra Edition includes new features based on artificial intelligence (AI) to enable clinicians to obtain quick and more repeatable exams with consistency. It delivers improved efficiency to the scanning process by providing reduced exam time through up to 80% fewer clicks, 99% accuracy and lower inter-operator variability. A methodical evaluation of heart function is considered vital in echocardiography while high-quality data acquisition and operator skills are important elements to obtain accurate and complete exams. Utilising AI-driven, neural network-based algorithms, Vivid Ultra Edition features enable repeatable and faster measurements in 2D echo imaging.

"A Google Maps for surgeons" is how Perimeter Medical Imaging AI Inc. (TSXV: PINK) President and CFO Jeremy Sobotta described the AI software currently being developed by the company to complement its FDA-cleared medical imaging system at a recent investment conference. Perimeter is a medical technology company working to transform cancer surgery by creating ultra-high-resolution, real-time, advanced imaging tools to address unmet medical needs. The imaging tools have already been developed and are approved in ophthalmology and cardiology (optical coherence tomography or OCT). Perimeter is using this imaging technology (OTIS or Optical Tissue Imaging Console) to assess the tissues surrounding the known cancerous target area to determine whether more tissue should be removed during the ongoing surgery. The imaging technology has the ability to rapidly image large and complex surfaces.

With the second-generation Oculus Quest headset's release, virtual reality is promising us new ways to connect while we socially isolate during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, as we immerse ourselves in our bubbles, emerging technology companies are exploring the possibilities of VR, big data, and artificial intelligence for more critical use cases. These use cases include making more useful information available to mental health providers for cognitive assessment. For the aging community, where even "active" seniors can feel isolated during the unfolding crisis, it's helpful to take regularly cognitive assessments to understand the changes. Akili Interactive's EndeavorRx made history earlier this year by becoming the first-and-only video game approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a medical treatment, ushering in a new era in the realm of VR.

GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) announced that it received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Ultra Edition package on Vivid cardivascular ultrasound systems. The Ultra Edition package on Vivid cardiovascular ultrasound systems includes new features that are based on artificial intelligence (AI) designed to enable clinicians to acquire faster, more repeatable exams on a consistent basis, according to a news release. Vivid Ultra Edition reduces exam time through up to 80% fewer clicks, 99% accuracy and less inter-operator variability, the company said. The AI features within the Vivid Ultra Edition includes automatic detection of the appropriate measurement of spectral Doppler images and relevant points in the image for deriving measurements of the left ventricle, along with view recognition for which standard 2D scan plane is acquired. Other features include HD color displays, FlexiLight for improving visualizations and a 4D TTE pediatric probe for 2D and 4D imaging in pediatric patients ranging from neonates to teenagers.

The TriRhenaTech alliance presents a collection of accepted papers of the cancelled tri-national 'Upper-Rhine Artificial Inteeligence Symposium' planned for 13th May 2020 in Karlsruhe. The TriRhenaTech alliance is a network of universities in the Upper-Rhine Trinational Metropolitan Region comprising of the German universities of applied sciences in Furtwangen, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, and Offenburg, the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Loerrach, the French university network Alsace Tech (comprised of 14 'grandes \'ecoles' in the fields of engineering, architecture and management) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland. The alliance's common goal is to reinforce the transfer of knowledge, research, and technology, as well as the cross-border mobility of students.

This is an article by Gabriel Leung, Dean of Medicine at Hong Kong University Medical Center and Malik Peiris Professor at the University Hong Kong 1) COVID vaccines are needed, even if they have minimal impact on transmission 2) COVID vaccines may not help us achieve herd immunity 3) COVID vaccine trials primarily assess prevention of virologically confirmed disease - not infection or transmission 4) an "effective" vaccine confers protection from disease but might not reduce spread 5) if COVID vaccines are effective in reducing morbidity & mortality in high-risk groups, they would have an important role, irrespective of impact on transmission and population immunity 6) if high-risk populations can be shielded by vaccination, COVID control measures could be recalibrated 7) the idea that COVID vaccine-induced population immunity will allow a return to normalcy may be based on false assumptions 8) no country will be truly safe until the entire world is vaccinated. This new study from Akiko Iwasaki, PhD and colleagues at Yale University offers the first clear evidence that COVID can invade brain cells 1) 40-60% of hospitalized COVID patients experience neurological complications including nerve damage and stroke 2) this study suggests that COVID in the brain may be more lethal than the respiratory infection caused by COVID 3) COVID hijacks brain cells to make copies of itself then exploits the brain cells' machinery to multiply 4) then COVID chokes off oxygen to adjacent brain cells causing them to die 5) a few days into the infection there is a dramatic decrease the number of synapses (the connections between neurons in the brain) 6) the researchers didn't find any evidence of an immune response to remedy this problem. It's a silent infection with evasion mechanisms 7) some people may be susceptible because of their genetic background or high viral load. Researchers used Summit Supercomputer to analyze 2.5 billion genetic combinations from COVID; then they made the Bradykinin Hypothesis 1) it took Summit 1 week to run the numbers. These high-powered microscopic images show very high viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 on human respiratory surfaces ready to spread the virus 1) Camille Ehre PhD and colleagues at UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine generated these microscopic images showing very high viral loads of SARS-CoV-2.

Picture this: As a Covid-19 patient fights for her life on a ventilator, software powered by artificial intelligence analyzes her vital signs and sends her care providers drug-dosing recommendations -- even as the same software simultaneously analyzes in real time the vital signs of thousands of other ventilated patients across the country to learn more about how the dosage affects their care and automatically implements improvements to its drug-dosing algorithm. This type of AI has never been allowed by the Food and Drug Administration. But that day is coming. AI that continuously learns from new data and modifies itself, called adaptive AI, faces some steep barriers. All FDA-cleared or approved AI-based software is "locked," meaning the manufacturer cannot allow adaptations for real-world use without new testing to confirm that it still works properly.

Healthcare is an obvious sector to deploy AI in. It generates tsunamis of data, vast amounts of money are spent on it, and there are plenty of opportunities to improve the quality of its products and services by making them more intelligent and intelligible. It is a mistake to think of healthcare as a single monolithic entity. Will Smart is the former CIO for the NHS in England, and he points out that healthcare carries out the activities of numerous different industries, including hotels, catering, research, professional services, janitorial services, logistics, manufacturing, and many others. What kinds of AI should healthcare managers be looking into?

PHOENIX – Banner Health is implementing applied artificial intelligence technology that will help doctors quickly treat patients suffering from a stroke. Arizona's largest hospital network has partnered with Viz.ai, which is an FDA-cleared computer-aided triage system that cuts down the time doctors use to look over imaging. "Every second someone is having a stroke, we estimate 32 thousand brain cells are dying," Dr. Jeremy Payne, Director of the Stroke Center at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix, told KTAR 92.3 FM Tuesday. It notifies doctors "where a stroke is happening, how much damage has been done and how much tissue is still salvageable before the patient has left the CT scanner," Payne said. Images and notifications are also sent directly to a doctor's phone, making it easier and faster for doctors to make lifesaving decisions.

Artificial Intelligence is a rapidly growing technology that finds applications and uses cases in all aspects of industry and life as well: within smart factories that use AI technology to enhance their capabilities and in smart assistants found in smart phones. Similarly, the pharmaceutical industry is finding innovative and smart ways to use this modern technology to resolve some of the significant issues facing pharma sector today. Along with AI-powered analytics, big data has brought a radical shift in the paradigm of the pharma. Artificial intelligence has the potential to promote innovation, while at the same time increasing productivity and providing better results. In addition, Artificial Intelligence develops the value proposition of pharmaceutical companies by creating new and latest business models.