Your Health: AI and the ICU

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Intensive care units across the country have been packed to capacity in the past year.

Many patients have severe COVID-19 symptoms, while others are being treated for accidental injuries, cancer or heart problems.

Feb. 18, 2022: Coronavirus Report: Michigan reports 3,827 new cases, 112 deaths over past two days

Add all of this to a nursing shortage and we have a major healthcare problem in the United States, but artificial intelligence may help to relieve the workload and save more lives.

“Artificial intelligence and other technologies can be used with our advantage,” said Dr. Azra Bihorac.

A group of University of Florida health researchers is using artificial intelligence, capturing information from sensors, meters and cameras to constantly monitor the most critical of patients.

“We utilize pervasive sensing sensors that can be placed on patients in their environment and continuously monitor whatever they are doing,” Bihorac said.

In addition to the vital signs, in the ICU of the future, a patient’s pain level will be captured through visual cues -- such as body movement, muscle twitching and facial expressions. Sensors record head and limb movements, posture and mobility.

“It will help the physicians and nurses to be able to monitor the patients, to be able to also to predict the trajectory of the patients in the ICU.,” said biomedical engineer Parisa Rashidi.

Computer algorithms analyze the data flowing from the patient and their room.

“Those are the algorithms that help you predict who is going to get sicker in the next three, four, five hours,” Rashidi said.

Which gives a continuous look into exactly how a patient is doing, even when a nurse or doctor isn’t in the room.

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