Researchers and colleagues at Cedars-Sinai have created an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that employs computed tomography (CT) scans to detect patients who are at risk of decreased blood flow to the heart. The tool can correctly predict decreased blood flow within the coronary arteries as well as within the heart muscle. The benefit of this AI tool is that it could possibly be used in real-time when patients come in for a CT scan to help doctors establish the subsequent step in the treatment strategy. Coronary arteries blockages usually happen because of the accumulation of fatty plaques. This may limit blood flow to the heart, resulting in chest pain, heart attacks, or even death.

An artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by Cedars-Sinai investigators accurately predicted who would develop pancreatic cancer based on what their CT scan images looked like years prior to being diagnosed with the disease. The findings, which may help prevent death through early detection of one of the most challenging cancers to treat, are published in the journal Cancer Biomarkers. "This AI tool was able to capture and quantify very subtle, early signs of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in CT scans years before occurrence of the disease. These are signs that the human eye would never be able to discern," said Debiao Li, Ph.D., director of the Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, professor of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging at Cedars-Sinai, and senior and corresponding author of the study. Li is also the Karl Storz Chair in Minimally Invasive Surgery in Honor of George Berci, MD.

Venture capital firms are eager to allocate money into robotics firms in a wide range of industries from shipping to healthcare as more automation became a focus during the global pandemic. In 2021, funding globally for robotics and drone companies rose to $14.9 billion, according to PitchBook. The amount of funding raised for robotics in 2022 has been steady. By January, VCs allocated $560 million of funding into robotics startups, excluding the round for Wandelbots, a German industrial robotics company that raised $84 million for its Series C round in January. The funding for the company's no-code platform came from U.S. investor Insight Partners, which led the round and was also supported by its existing backers - Microsoft (MSFT) - Get Microsoft Corporation Report, 83North, Next47, Paua, Atlantic Labs and EQT.

An artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by Cedars-Sinai investigators accurately predicted who would develop pancreatic cancer based on what their CT scan images looked like years prior to being diagnosed with the disease. The findings, which may help prevent death through early detection of one of the most challenging cancers to treat, are published in the journal Cancer Biomarkers. "This AI tool was able to capture and quantify very subtle, early signs of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in CT scans years before occurrence of the disease. These are signs that the human eye would never be able to discern," said Debiao Li, PhD, director of the Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, professor of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging at Cedars-Sinai, and senior and corresponding author of the study. Li is also the Karl Storz Chair in Minimally Invasive Surgery in Honor of George Berci, MD.

What if you could predict a heart attack? Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center announced this week the development of a tool that uses artificial intelligence to measure artery health and detect future cardiac risks in seemingly healthy patients as far as five years in advance. Heart attacks are often caused by plaque deposits in arteries, the muscular-walled tubes that carry oxygenated blood throughout the body. These deposits constrict blood flow and raise the risk of potential heart problems. While doctors can use CTA scans to create 3D images of a patient's arteries and measure the density and composition of such plaque, it can be a complicated and time-consuming process.

Investigators from Cedars-Sinai have created an artificial intelligence-enabled tool that may make it easier to predict if a person will have a heart attack. The tool, described in The Lancet Digital Health, accurately predicted which patients would experience a heart attack in five years based on the amount and composition of plaque in arteries that supply blood to the heart. Plaque buildup can cause arteries to narrow, which makes it difficult for blood to get to the heart, increasing the likelihood of a heart attack. A medical test called a coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) takes 3-D images of the heart and arteries and can give doctors an estimate of how much a patient's arteries have narrowed. Until now, however, there has not been a simple, automated and rapid way to measure the plaque visible in the CTA images.

After already targeting verticals like hotels and apartment complexes, Amazon announced today it's now rolling out new solutions for healthcare providers and senior living centers. The solutions, which are a part of Alexa Smart Properties, are designed specifically to meet the needs of deploying Alexa devices at scale and will allow the facility's administrators to create customized experiences for their residents or patients. In senior living centers, the residents would be able to use Alexa devices to call their family members and other loved ones, as well as keep up with the goings-on at their community and other community news. The devices could also be used to make announcements, allow the residents to communicate with each other through direct audio messages, make voice and video calls, and they can streamline other center activities -- like check-ins, maintenance requests, and various administrative tasks. Amazon believes this could help make facilities more efficient and productive.

Los Angeles medical center Cedars-Sinai is currently piloting a program that places Amazon Echos in more than 100 patient rooms. The smart speakers use Aiva, a voice assistant platform for healthcare, and is intended to help patients communicate with their caregivers. Letting patients use Alexa to perform basic tasks like changing TV channels also frees up nurses to perform medical care. Backed by Amazon's Alexa Fund and the Google Assistant Investment Program, Aiva also participated in the Cedars-Sina accelerator program for healthcare startups. The platform also works with Google Home.

Cedars-Sinai is making some of its hospital rooms a little more like home for patients with the help of Amazon Alexa. The Los Angeles hospital on Monday said it's piloting a system called Avia, which it calls "the world's first patient-centered voice assistant platform for hospitals." As part of the pilot, Cedars-Sinai has equipped more than 100 rooms with Amazon Echo smart speakers so patients can use Alexa to control the TV or summon a nurse with just the sound of their voice. Patients in these "smart hospital rooms" can say things like "Alexa, change the channel to ESPN" when they want to watch sports on TV or "Alexa, tell my nurse I need to use the restroom" when they need assistance getting out of bed. Healthcare requests are sent to the appropriate person's mobile phone--whether that be a caregiver, nurse, clinical partner, manager, or administrator.

Over 100 patients staying at Cedars-Sinai can now ask Alexa to control their TVs and call their nurses for them. The hospital has launched a pilot program to test an Alexa-powered healthcare platform called "Aiva," putting Echo speakers in over a hundred hospital rooms. According to Cedars-Sinai, Aiva is the "the world's first patient-centered voice assistant platform for hospitals." Patients can use it to call for help when needed, especially if they're not mobile and unable to use their hands. For instance, they can say: "Alexa, tell my nurse I need to get up to use the restroom."