12167
clinical study

Impact of an AI-Based Triage and Prioritization Solution for Incidental Pulmonary Embolism Findings on Contrast CT in an Outpatient Setting

Materials & Methods

This study evaluated the impact of an AI-powered system on wait time – defined as the time between study acquisition and when the radiologist began dictation – for patients with suspected incidental pulmonary embolism (iPE) detected during CT scans. Data from a large academic hospital was analyzed from April 2022 to April 2023. The AI system (Aidoc) prioritized cases where iPE was suspected and compared to cases without AI notifications.

Results

During the study period, a total of 28,914 CT exams included the lungs, with 269 suspected positive prioritization notifications (87 chest/abdo/pelvis and 182 chest-only). There was a significant reduction in median wait times for AI-notified cases compared to non-AI-notified cases. Overall, wait times decreased by 64.4%, from 242 minutes to 86 minutes (p<0.001). The reduction was most pronounced for chest/abdo/pelvis scans, with an 83.5% (p<0.001). For chest-only scans, the reduction was 50.6%.

Conclusions

AI-based triage and prioritization can substantially reduce wait times for patients with incidental pulmonary embolism, potentially speeding up diagnosis and treatment.

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