St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) heart specialists are first in the Lehigh Valley region employing advanced artificial intelligence technology, combined with echocardiograms, to detect and monitor potentially serious heart conditions, like aortic stenosis, before symptoms appear in patients.
The Network’s Heart and Vascular Center has begun using the Egnite CardioCare AI digital health platform, which functions with the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR) and echocardiogram images to aid in the diagnosis of various heart issues in the early stages of development. Echocardiography converts sound waves into images of the heart’s structure, size and function, including its valves and blood flow, to diagnose and monitor the health of the heart or presence of a cardiac disorder or disease.
St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular is an eight-time nationally ranked 50 Top Heart Hospital dedicated to delivering unmatched, patient-centered care. Leading the region in heart and vascular care, St. Luke’s was first in the region to do open heart surgery in 1983 and continues to be the first in the region to pioneer new and advanced surgeries to this day. From the most complex cases to routine procedures, St. Luke’s embraces innovative technologies to deliver the highest quality outcomes for all heart and vascular conditions.
The new CardioCare AI digital health platform helps navigate the vast amount of patient data in the EHR to find the right patients so they can be treated at the right time. The system detects signs of aortic stenosis, at its early stages, which might otherwise go undetected and/or untreated. Patients with advanced aortic stenosis may be candidates for TAVR, or transcatheter aortic valve replacement – a potentially life-saving minimally invasive procedure.
The CardioCare AI platform analyzes all echocardiograms performed at St. Luke’s, in hopes of finding aortic stenosis, and other diagnoses, in even early stages, so they can be addressed, monitored or treated in a timely manner. Approximately 50,000 echocardiograms are performed annually at St. Luke’s. Currently, while St. Luke’s is utilizing Egnite’s CardioCare technology to assist with diagnosis of aortic stenosis and other valvular diseases, plans are under way to roll out this technology in electrophysiology (arrhythmia) and heart failure patients in the near future.
Stephen Olenchok, DO, St. Luke’s Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery, said, “As the region’s leader in heart care innovation, St. Luke’s Heart and Vascular Center is pioneering the adoption of the Egnite CardioCare AI platform to expand our clinical toolbox to improve our ability to diagnose, manage and treat a range of developing cardiac disorders in their early stages, with the ultimate goal of improving patients’ quality of life and long-term cardiac health.”
About St. Luke’s
Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites. With annual net revenue of $4 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke’s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital.
Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley’s first and only four-year medical school campus. It also operates the nation’s oldest School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 52 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 500 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke’s, a member of the Children’s Hospital Association, established the Lehigh Valley’s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.
SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare’s five-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction. St. Luke’s is a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital. The Network’s flagship University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from Fortune/PINC AI 10 years in a row, including in 2021 when it was identified as THE #1 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY. In 2021, St. Luke’s was also identified as one of the 15 Top Health Systems nationally. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.
Information provided to TVL by:
Sam Kennedy
