UC Davis Health and Illuminate are developing a program to improve care for high-risk abdominal aortic aneurysm patients

UC Davis Health and Illuminate are developing a program to improve care for high-risk abdominal aortic aneurysm patients

UC Davis Health and Illuminate, an artificial intelligence software company, have developed a centralized abdominal aortic aneurysm monitoring program that saves lives. The effort identifies at-risk abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients who may have been “lost to follow-up” due to lack of care during the pandemic or other reasons.

In the first six months of the program, the program has identified over 11,000 patients with some evidence of AAA who could benefit from monitoring. Over 10,000 patients have been reviewed and 1,119 patients who were no longer able to receive care are now being actively monitored and cared for by nursing staff.

Of these, 81 patients attended UC Davis Health, resulting in 146 diagnostic imaging studies, one diagnostic angiogram, and 10 life-saving AAA surgical procedures.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms discovered before rupture must be measured, closely monitored, and evaluated for treatment. Small aneurysms less than five centimeters in diameter can often be left untreated, but need to be monitored regularly to check for growth.

Matthew W. Mell, Medical Director of the Vascular Center

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is the ballooning of part of the aorta, the largest artery in the body. Aneurysms are the result of weakening and thinning of the aortic wall. When part of it stretches and swells to more than 50 percent of its original diameter, it is called an aneurysm. Aneurysms in the abdominal part of the aorta -; under the diaphragm -; are the most common.

As a leading academic medical center with a patient-centered focus on digital health, UC Davis Health has implemented Illuminate, Inc.'s Discovery 360 Services and ActKnowledge AI software. The goal is to identify existing patients in the UC Davis electronic health record who may have an abdominal aortic aneurysm and require follow-up care.

Identified patients are then contacted by a UC Davis Health nurse navigator who explains the program and process. The nurse also educates the patient about the importance of follow-up care and ongoing monitoring from their primary care physician and serves as a source of information for the patient if they have additional questions.

“The goal of this program is to help primary care physicians treat our AAA patients with small aneurysms before they become a problem and to streamline the vascular surgery referral process,” Mell said. “We hope this will help improve patient outcomes by reducing a patient’s risk of aneurysm rupture by offering AAA repair to eligible patients.”

According to the Society for Vascular Surgery, 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with AAA each year. A ruptured AAA is the 15th leading cause of death in the country and the 10th leading cause of death in men over 55.

“This is just one example of how the Vascular Center is leveraging cutting-edge software technology to improve patient care and clinical outcomes,” Mell added. “I appreciate all the hard work of our great team who have been instrumental in getting the aortic aneurysm monitoring program up and running.

Illuminate is an AI software company that also provides navigation services for caregivers. This unique combination allows the company to lead the way in collaborating with physicians and health systems to optimize patient care. His business is focused on helping healthcare practices thrive in an increasingly digital world.

“We are pleased that our efforts have had an immediate and dramatic impact on the care of vascular patients at UC Davis,” said Matt McLenon, CEO of Illuminate. "This is an exciting time in which we can leverage technology to significantly improve patient care. We look forward to our continued partnership and building on this early success."

Source:

University of California-Davis Health

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