Erlanger Health System partners with Viz.ai to transform stroke care

Jul 25 2018

Erlanger Health System, a multi-hospital health system based in Tennessee have announced a partnership with Viz.ai., a leading applied artificial intelligence company, to transform stroke care. The Erlanger Stroke Center is one of the foremost stroke centers in the nation.

Erlanger has partnered to use Viz LVO, a cloud-based artificial intelligence system that can automatically analyze CT scans for suspected large vessel occlusions (LVOs), along with Viz CTP into its clinical workflow. After a patient undergoes a CT scan, Viz LVO alerts the stroke specialist of a suspected LVO, allowing the specialist to proactively review the images on their smartphone. Analysis, performed by deep learning algorithms, is automatic and occurs in minutes. Viz LVO is the only stroke triage software to receive FDA clearance.

Erlanger anticipates that Viz LVO will improve the stroke pathway in one of the largest and busiest stroke programs in the United States by reducing treatment times and increasing patient access to potentially life-savings therapies such as mechanical thrombectomy. Earlier diagnosis and faster transfer to an interventional stroke center for advanced stroke treatment has the potential to improve patient outcomes.

"There is no more time-sensitive treatment in all of medicine than that required when responding to stroke," said Dr. Thomas G. Devlin, Executive Medical Director, University of Tennessee Erlanger Neurology and Co-Director of the Erlanger Southwest Regional Stroke Center. "Viz LVO combines ground breaking AI with frictionless communication. It provides the resources to help shave off critical minutes, even hours, in the triage, diagnosis and treatment of stroke and allows stroke specialists to be proactive rather than reactive. Viz LVO facilitates fast and accurate detection and referral of large vessel occlusion strokes enabling better collaboration between the stroke teams at comprehensive and referral hospitals."

Erlanger Health System will roll out Viz LVO across the Erlanger network, followed by expansion to the rest of their referral network.

"Viz.ai transforms stroke care not only for our patients, but for the entire region," said Joseph Winick, FACHE, Lead Executive, Erlanger Innovation Center at Erlanger Health System. "Viz LVO allows us to deliver the right care in the right place, potentially improving outcomes, while lowering cost. Viz LVO provides an AI platform to drive ROI".