Massachusetts General Hospital Archives

GE HealthCare, Mass General collab on AI algorithm to predict missed care opportunities

GE HealthCare (Nasdaq: GEHC) + and Mass General Brigham today announced an effort to co-develop an AI algorithm to increase operations effectiveness and productivity.

The duo announced this development plan as part of their 10-year collaboration, inked in 2017. They aim to develop the application for the schedule predictions dashboard of the Radiology Operations module. This digital imaging tool helps optimize scheduling, reduce cost and free providers from administrative burden. GE HealthCare said this allows more time for the clinician-patient relationship.

“Amid the vast sea of data and the heavy tasks that divert healthcare providers from patient care, our collaboration with Mass General Brigham is groundbreaking. Through the fusion of distinctive datasets and cutting-edge machine learning methods, harnessing the synergy of clinical and technical proficiency, we are ushering in unprecedented healthcare advanc…

Study supports use of Prevencio’s blood test in risk classification of patients with diabetes

Prevencio announced today that patient data demonstrate high accuracy with its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven HART CVE blood test.

Kirkland, Washington-based Prevencio presented data at last week’s American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions that suggested that the HART CVE blood test significantly improves the risk classification for patients with diabetes, allowing for more aggressive therapy in higher-risk patients and avoiding expensive or invasive treatment for patients at a lower risk.

The study, run by cardiologists at Massachusetts General Hospital, observed 450 patients to predict the one-year risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death in patients with diabetes. With the test score divided into low-risk and high-risk categories, the test showed a highly accurate hazard ratio (HR) of 25, demonstrating that a high-risk patient with diabetes has 25 times the risk for a major cardiac event within one year compared to low-risk pa…

How bioengineers tackled the leaky mask problem

Researchers from Harvard and MIT have formed a company to mass-produce a more effective three-ply mask for everyday use.

The Ultra Fit mask’s design improvements include extending the nose wire all around the mask and making the ear loops adjustable. [Image courtesy of Katharos Labs]Anyone who wears glasses knows that the ubiquitous blue pleated mask leaks vapor upward, despite the wire designed to conform to the shape of the nose.

Less obvious is the leakage from the mask’s sides and bottom, which a sneeze or cough can increase many times over. While three-ply disposable masks provide some protection for the wearer and those around them, they could be much safer for all.

That’s the conclusion of a team of researchers from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Massachusetts General Hospital. They set out to develop a more practical everyday mask that could be mass-produced and…

How a top research lab pivoted to fight COVID-19

A top medtech research site, the Boston-based Karp Lab has responded to COVID-19 with a virus-fighting nasal spray, better mask straps and much more.

Biomedical engineer Jeffrey Karp in his eponymous lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. (Image courtesy of Brigham and Women’s Hospital)

COVID-19 completely disrupted the work at Jeff Karp’s medical engineering lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

One company that was planning to do research with Karp and his students pulled out; Canadian undergraduate students were called home by their government and couldn’t finish their experiments; postdoctoral students whose work was scheduled to end in June and couldn’t finish had to move on to other commitments. Undergraduate summer interns couldn’t start work because the hospital had imposed a hiring freeze.

Karp has chosen to look on the bright side. Read more

Smith College team wins ventilator design challenge

(Image courtesy of CoVent-19 Challenge)

A team of Smith College engineering alumnae, staff and faculty has won the CoVent-19 Challenge to design a rapidly deployable ventilator to address shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in developing countries.

A dozen anesthesiology resident physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital kicked off the public challenge April 1, attracting 200 entries. The 30-person team from the Northampton, Mass., college took a winning design from concept through working prototype. The next step could be a final product for regulatory approval in Nigeria, one of the countries that have been talking with the CoVent-19 Challenge organizers.

Get the full story on our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.

Study: PPE shortages persist nationwide

(Image from GetUsPPE)

Shortages of personal protective equipment continue to plague hospitals and healthcare facilities across the United States, according to a study published this week in The Lancet.

The study reports on data collected by GetUsPPE, a volunteer organization connecting healthcare providers with supplies of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic and was authored by academics and volunteers from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Google and Pymetrics.

Most of the 6,169 hospitals, healthcare and other facilities — including nursing homes — that made PPE requests through GetUsPPE asked for N95 respirators (74%), surgical masks (64%), gowns (61%), and face shields (60%), according to the study. High COVID-19 infection and death rates have been reported at nursing homes across the country.

Metropolitan areas comprised 5,416 (8…

Study: PPE shortages persist nationwide

(Image from GetUsPPE)

Shortages of personal protective equipment continue to plague hospitals and healthcare facilities across the United States, according to a study published this week in The Lancet.

The study reports on data collected by GetUsPPE, a volunteer organization connecting healthcare providers with supplies of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic and was authored by academics and volunteers from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Google and Pymetrics.

Most of the 6,169 hospitals, healthcare and other facilities — including nursing homes — that made PPE requests through GetUsPPE asked for N95 respirators (74%), surgical masks (64%), gowns (61%), and face shields (60%), according to the study. High COVID-19 infection and death rates have been reported at nursing homes across the country.

Metropolitan areas comprised 5,416 (8…