The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in vascular surgery holds great promise to optimize the delivery of care, with prospective uses including patient selection and procedural planning. Yet, challenges remain.
Many still view AI with suspicion, and important ethical and security questions over its use remain. A session taking place Thursday, June 20 at 7:00 a.m. (West Building, Level 1) will explore these issues, and look at current and future uses of AI in the vascular space. Session moderator Judith Lin, MD, MBA, professor and chief of vascular surgery at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan and Javairiah Fatima, MD, an associate professor of surgery at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., spoke to VS@VAM about opportunities and challenges for AI in vascular, and what attendees can expect from the session.
VS@VAM: What do you see as being the main uses for AI in the vascular field?
JL: AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare. AI can enhance diagnostic accuracy, improve patient outcomes, and streamline clinical workflows. Specifically in the field of vascular surgery, the main uses of AI include image analysis to identify aneurysms or thrombosis, predictive models of adverse events, decision support to provide evidence-based recommendations, robotic-assisted surgery to enhance precision and dexterity, automated alerts for graft occlusion, natural language processing and large language models to summarize patient history and make recommendations for personalized treatment.
VS@VAM: Is vascular surgery ready for the advent of AI?
JF: AI has been around for a long time in various forms, we are currently enhancing its use in very specific situations to enhance patient care and technological development. So I would say yes, there is acceptance and utilization.
VS@VAM: Are there good examples of how AI is currently used in vascular surgery?
JF: Artificial intelligence is being used to diagnose aortic aneurysms, assist in preoperative planning and in treatment. Similarly, it has played a role in timely detection of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), pulmonary embolisms, and strokes on imaging done for other indications and routing them to the appropriate personnel for timely intervention. The ability of AI to analyze large amounts of data, using deep learning analysis to detect patterns, perform risk stratification and draw conclusions surpasses human capacities and has already proven beneficial to patient treatment and outcomes.
VS@VAM: Will AI replace physician judgement?
JL: No. AI will enhance clinical decision-making. AI-powered decision support tools provide evidence-based recommendations to clinicians during diagnosis and treatment planning. AI is a powerful tool, but it should complement clinical judgement rather than replace it. I think physicians who use AI will replace those who don’t.
VS@VAM: Can we trust AI?
JF: This is a million-dollar question! I think checks and balance are critical to its ethical and unbiased use. It is incumbent on us to develop algorithms with proper testing and careful and cautious implementation with the highest standards in patient safety.
VS@VAM: How can vascular surgeons prepare themselves for more AI in their daily practice?
JL: Vascular surgeons can prepare themselves for more AI in their daily practice by staying informed about AI developments in medicine and surgery, collaborating with data scientists to develop AI models and algorithms, and investigating relevant existing AI tools and applications.
VS@VAM: What should attendees expect to gain from attending the AI session?
JF: The VAM AI session has an excellent line-up of national leaders in the field who are dedicated to development and implementation of AI to optimize patient care. It’s an excellent opportunity for an interactive discussion on the topic.
