Pioneering AI-Enhanced Screening Technology for Early Diagnosis of Heart Disorders

St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) heart specialists are first in the Lehigh Valley region employing advanced artificial intelligence technology, combined with echocardiograms, to detect and monitor potentially serious heart conditions, like aortic stenosis, before symptoms appear in patients.

The Network’s Heart and Vascular Center has begun using the Egnite CardioCare AI digital health platform, which functions with the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR) and echocardiogram images to aid in the diagnosis of various heart issues in the early stages of development. Echocardiography converts sound waves into images of the heart’s structure, size and function, including its valves and blood flow, to diagnose and monitor the health of the heart or presence of a cardiac disorder or disease.

St. Luke's Heart & Vascular is an eight-time nationally ranked 50 Top Heart Hospital dedicated to delivering unmatched, patient-centered care. Leading the region in heart and vascular care, St. Luke's was first in the region to do open heart surgery in 1983 and continues to be the first in the region to pioneer new and advanced surgeries to this day. From the most complex cases to routine procedures, St. Luke's embraces innovative technologies to deliver the highest quality outcomes for all heart and vascular conditions.

The new CardioCare AI digital health platform helps navigate the vast amount of patient data in the EHR to find the right patients so they can be treated at the right time. The system detects signs of aortic stenosis, at its early stages, which might otherwise go undetected and/or untreated. Patients with advanced aortic stenosis may be candidates for TAVR, or transcatheter aortic valve replacement – a potentially life-saving minimally invasive procedure.

The CardioCare AI platform analyzes all echocardiograms performed at St. Luke’s, in hopes of finding aortic stenosis, and other diagnoses, in even early stages, so they can be addressed, monitored or treated in a timely manner. Approximately 50,000 echocardiograms are performed annually at St. Luke’s. Currently, while St. Luke's is utilizing Egnite's CardioCare technology to assist with diagnosis of aortic stenosis and other valvular diseases, plans are under way to roll out this technology in electrophysiology (arrhythmia) and heart failure patients in the near future.

Stephen Olenchok, DO, St. Luke’s Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery, said, “As the region’s leader in heart care innovation, St. Luke’s Heart and Vascular Center is pioneering the adoption of the Egnite CardioCare AI platform to expand our clinical toolbox to improve our ability to diagnose, manage and treat a range of developing cardiac disorders in their early stages, with the ultimate goal of improving patients’ quality of life and long-term cardiac health.”