Powerful tool for capturing aneurysms from Viz.ai given funding and FDA clearance

23-Mar-2023 - Last updated on 27-Mar-2023 at 15:00 GMT

A powerful tool that could capture abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and refer those at risk is the first to be given clearance by the US Food and Drink Administration (FDA).

Viz.ai has also received $510k for the artificial intelligence-powered solution for the detection and triage of suspected AAA.

According to the company there is an estimated 1.1million Americans living with an AAA and most patients are not aware they have it until they experience a rupture.

Philip Batista, MD at Viz.ai said: “This is a catastrophic medical emergency resulting in 10,000 deaths each year. This algorithm is a powerful new tool for healthcare professionals to more readily identify and capture individuals with AAA – and more importantly, automatically refer those at imminent risk for rupture.”

Viz.ai uses artificial intelligence to automatically search for the presence of an AAA from any computed tomography angiography (CTA) scan of the chest from any scanner in a hospital network. The new artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and clinical workflow solution will be a part of the Viz Aortic Module, an AI solution designed to accelerate treatment decisions for all aortic pathology.

An AAA is a bulge in the abdominal aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. If left undetected and untreated, it can lead to an often fatal rupture.

The company says the software can be integrated into existing hospital workflows, allowing physicians to quickly and easily identify patients who may have a suspected AAA and take appropriate measures to prevent a rupture.

“AAA is an important and actionable incidental finding that is too-often missed,” said Jayme Strauss, chief clinical officer at Viz.ai. “The vision behind Viz AAA is to automatically catch and follow abdominal aortic disease, no matter the patient’s location. We believe that this product will enable care teams to prevent catastrophic aortic emergencies, such as aortic rupture, by increasing the surveillance of these patients.”

Viz.ai will continue to work with leading hospitals and healthcare providers to implement the tool into their clinical workflows. The company plans to continue to expand its offerings in the healthcare space, using AI to improve patient outcomes and revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered.

Patrick Muck is a vascular surgeon at TriHealth who has been using Viz software for the detection of suspected pulmonary embolism over several months and has seen improvements in patient care.

He said: “I’m looking forward to the new aortic platform as its implementation will allow for enhanced identification, triage and team member communication, resulting, I believe, in the best possible care for our aortic patients.”