Banner Health introducing artificial intelligence to stroke care

PHOENIX – Banner Health is implementing applied artificial intelligence technology that will help doctors quickly treat patients suffering from a stroke.

Arizona’s largest hospital network has partnered with Viz.ai, which is an FDA-cleared computer-aided triage system that cuts down the time doctors use to look over imaging.

“Every second someone is having a stroke, we estimate 32 thousand brain cells are dying,” Dr. Jeremy Payne, Director of the Stroke Center at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix, told KTAR 92.3 FM Tuesday.

It notifies doctors “where a stroke is happening, how much damage has been done and how much tissue is still salvageable before the patient has left the CT scanner,” Payne said.

Images and notifications are also sent directly to a doctor’s phone, making it easier and faster for doctors to make lifesaving decisions.

“Having been doing this and looking at this sort of imaging for over 20 years, it’s revolutionary,” Payne said.

The technology is being deployed across Banner Health’s network including Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix, Banner Del Webb Medical Center in Sun City West, and Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa. The hospital system expects to have the technology available at all of its hospitals in the next few months.

Stroke is the fifth cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of disability.