Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital deploys AI (artificial intelligence) applications in echocardiography to support accurate diagnosis, thereby optimizing heart failure treatment.
On January 21, Prof. Dr. Truong Quang Binh, Chairman of the Scientific Council, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, said the above information. Currently, more than 120 cases have been tested by the hospital using AI in echocardiography, giving “very good diagnostic results but does not take much time”.
According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death globally, accounting for about 17.9 million deaths each year. In particular, heart failure is still a major challenge of medicine, there is no weapon to completely solve it, the fight against the disease is still passive.
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart muscle has a reduced ability to pump blood, leading to insufficient supply of blood and oxygen for the body’s needs. It leads to complications such as respiratory failure or damage to the liver and kidneys if not treated promptly. In addition, heart failure is a late-stage disease of cardiovascular, or non-cardiovascular, diseases. This is a dangerous disease with a readmission rate of up to 60% within 3 months after discharge as well as a very high mortality rate.
Diagnosing heart failure is difficult, especially with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction – a common syndrome in the elderly. Despite many abnormalities, the ejection fraction is still within normal limits, making disease detection time-consuming and easily missed.
To solve this problem, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital has researched and applied AI in echocardiography. Technology helps doctors perform ultrasound automatically, quickly, accurately and consistently, improving diagnostic and treatment efficiency. AI is estimated to be able to detect 20% more missed cases of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, while also shortening diagnosis time from 35-40 minutes to 10 minutes, reducing the burden on medical staff. and treatment costs.
A patient has an echocardiogram using a machine with an integrated artificial intelligence tool. Image: American Italy
The hospital leader added that in the future, after having research results on the effectiveness of AI applications in echocardiography, the facility will have reports to propose the application of health insurance policies for technicians. this technique.
In the period 2025-2027, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital and its supplier, Astra Zeneca, continue to promote clinical research programs and train medical staff on the application of new and expanded technology. international cooperation in the field of digital transformation. This is the premise for building a modern medical ecosystem, ensuring all patients have access to the most advanced medical solutions, contributing to improving health care in Vietnam.