Delray Medical Center advances endovascular program with Viz™ Vascular Suite technology

Delray Medical Center recently became the first hospital in Florida to acquire the Viz™ Vascular Suite, a comprehensive software used to detect disease, optimize workflow, and coordinate care.

The Viz Vascular suite uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically detect suspected pulmonary embolism, right/left ventricle dilation, aortic dissection, and abdominal aortic aneurysm to facilitate informed and efficient treatment decisions. The technology is designed to automatically analyze imaging and data, and in turn eliminate futile patient transfers between departments and decrease the time patients spend in the emergency department.

“Being able to identify a patient with a serious vascular condition, such as an abdominal aortic aneurysm, early – before they have an emergency, is a game changer and literally a lifesaver,” said Dr. Joseph Ricotta, professor of surgery and program director of the vascular surgery fellowship at Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine, and national medical director of vascular surgery and endovascular therapy at Tenet Healthcare. “For example, there are roughly 1.5 million abdominal aortic aneurysms in the US per year; however, only 10 percent get diagnosed and treated. We don’t often find out about them until it’s too late and, even then, there’s only a 25 percent chance of living through a ruptured aortic aneurysm. From my experience as an early adopter of this technology, the Viz Vascular Suite will help enhance screening and coordinate care across my vascular team.”

Using the Viz.ai platform, care can be coordinated for any vascular pathology, and managed remotely within a hub and spoke network, which expedites diagnosis and treatment. It also aids Delray Medical Center in activating its Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT), which is a multidisciplinary team that rapidly assesses and provides treatment for patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Remaining on the forefront of new technology and treatments has been a hallmark of the vascular program at Delray Medical Center as it was the first in the country to perform endovascular robotic surgery, the first in Florida to perform trans-carotid revascularization (TCAR) for the treatment of carotid artery disease and stroke, the first in Florida to perform Venaseal TM for the treatment of venous disease, and the first in Palm Beach county to perform intravascular lithotripsy balloon angioplasty for peripheral vascular disease.

Equipped with advanced, robotic surgical technology not available at any other hospital in Palm Beach County, the experienced team of physicians and surgeons at Delray Medical Center offer even more minimally invasive vascular interventional procedures to patients, including specialized procedures that are designed to spare tissue, repair damage, and help maintain and restore function in limbs that would otherwise have to be amputated.