AI for TAVR, robot-guided echo and more: Key research at ESC Congress 2024

LOLA placed 1,039 calls that totaled approximately 385 hours of conversation. Calls included a series of questions focused on the procedure and the patient’s cardiovascular health. Certain words or comments created an alert, helping researchers anticipate when follow-up care may be necessary. Fifty-seven percent of calls that included at least one alert resulted in at least one intervention.

Overall, the group found that the AI-based assistant provided significant value, letting care teams know when issues may need to be addressed and even helping patients discharge from the hospital quicker than normal. It was also linked to a high patient satisfaction rate.

Read more here.

Remote echocardiograms guided by robots deliver strong accuracy

Robot-guided echocardiograms performed remotely may be as accurate as tests cardiologists complete in person, researchers found. The group tested out the safety and effectiveness of remote echo exams performed using robot arm technology coupled with a 5G communications network.

This study included 51 patients who were treated by a cardiologist located more than 12 miles away from the hospital. All patients underwent a remote echo and a traditional echo, so the two methods could be compared with one another. The order of the two tests was random; some patients underwent a robot-guided exam first, and others did not.

Overall, the group found that the image quality of the remote echo exams was sufficient for a diagnosis in all but one patient. The remote echo diagnosis was the same as the traditional echo diagnosis in 98% of cases, as one papillary muscle level obstruction was missed during a remote exam.

Remote exams did take about 50% longer, the team noted, but that was the only drawback they identified.

“This system would increase the accessibility of better medical resources as patients may travel less to get diagnosis and medical advice from cardiologists based in referral centers,” explained lead author Xianhong Shu, MD, PhD, of Zhongshan Hospital in China. “A remote robotic echo system may help protect more health professionals from the risk of exposure during pandemics like the COVID-19 as the cardiologist may not need to be in close contact with the patient if only echocardiogram consultation is required.”

Read more here.

Recent recreational drug use causes heart risks to skyrocket

Patients hospitalized for severe cardiovascular complications face a much higher risk of repeat events if they present with a recent history of recreational drug use. The study’s authors focused on the impact of cannabis, heroin and other drugs.

Tracking data from nearly 1,400 patients admitted to one of 39 intensive cardiac care units, researchers found that 11% had an initial positive test of recreational drug use. More than 28% of those patients tested positive for at least two of those substances.

After one year, patients with that positive test had a much higher rate of repeat adverse cardiovascular events (13%) than patients who did not (6%). MDMA was linked to the single highest risk out of all of the recreational drugs included in the team’s research.

“Despite the high rate of underreporting of recreational drug use, systematic screening is not recommended by the current guidelines,” said co-author Raphael Mirailles, MD, with Hospital Lariboisiere in Paris. “It might improve risk stratification of patients and personalized care to favor drug withdrawal. Therefore, systemic screening should be considered in intensive care.”

Read more here.

Additional details about ESC Congress 2024 are available on the ESC website.