AI Accurately Detects Key Findings in Chest X-Rays in 10 Seconds

An artificial intelligence (AI) system accurately identified key findings in chest X-rays of patients in the emergency department suspected of having pneumonia in just 10 seconds, researchers from Intermountain Healthcare and Stanford University reported at the European Respiratory Society's International Congress 2019. Traditionally, it takes physicians 20 minutes or more to identify pneumonia from chest X-rays. "In this initial study, we've demonstrated the algorithm's potential by validating it on patients in the emergency departments at Intermountain Healthcare," said Jeremy Irvin, a Ph.D. student at Stanford. "Our hope is that the algorithm can improve the quality of pneumonia care at Intermountain, from improving diagnostic accuracy to reducing time to diagnosis." Early diagnosis could lead to treatment starting earlier, which is vital for severely ill patients, the researchers noted.