Hi-tech giants and medical experts are developing a new system to monitor coronavirus patients in serious condition while limiting doctors’ and nurses’ exposure to the deadly virus.
By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel
A new “cockpit” style system to monitor coronavirus patients who are in serious condition on ventilators has been developed in Israel to give medical staff real-time information while protecting them from infection.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Microsoft Israel and the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba used artificial intelligence technologies and experience from aircraft design to integrate data from the medical devices and sensors connected to the patient, analyze it and generate early warning signals to alert medical teams, Israel Defense reported Monday.
The data from patients is displayed in a control room set up to look like an aircraft cockpit that lists all the vital information and allows doctors to manage their patients remotely.
The system uses Microsoft’s Azure platform with the support of Microsoft Israel and got help from IAI’s ELTA division, which is known for producing civilian and military radar systems.
The development makes it possible to supervise a large number of patients simultaneously, as millions of events can be transferred and displayed in the system per second.
“When treating COVID-19 patients, maximum protection of the medical staff is required. One of the most significant challenges we face in treating these patients is the need to minimize physical contact between healthcare providers and patients,” said Dr. Shlomi Codish, director general of Soroka.
“The great advantage of the system is its ability to simulate the routine situation in which I enter the room, see the patient, and collect data from all the devices around him,” said Prof. Yaniv Almog, who heads Soroka’s coronavirus ICU. “This is an important advantage that will allow us to cope safely and comprehensively with patient care management even in the era of COVID-19.”
IAI vice president Yoav Turgeman said that by working with Microsoft and hospital staff, IAI has contributed its vast knowledge and experience from the worlds of intelligence, cyber, radar, and artificial intelligence, as well aircraft design.
“We combine technologies for the monitoring of patient measures, department management, and device control, all without the need for human intervention,” Turgeman said.