Microsoft & Liverpool Hospital join to develop AI for cardiology support

Microsoft has forged a partnership with Liverpool Hospital, one of Sydney's largest tertiary referral and teaching hospitals, to develop a generative artificial intelligence (AI) solution that will aid cardiologists in decision-making in clinical practice.

The tool, named 'The Cardiology Canon', is meant to aid in sifting through an enormous amount of cardiology-related literature and guidelines. Cardiovascular disease is a major health concern in Australia, causing one in four deaths countrywide. However, there is an ongoing challenge for these specialists to stay updated with the exponentially growing body of medical knowledge and evidence related to cardiology.

The AI solution was constructed with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, drawing on clinical trials spanning the past four decades and guidelines from leading cardiac societies in Australia, Europe and the United States. The technology is intended to process more than 500 individual documents and 80,000 pages, creating a cognitive vector search index which can be accessed via a web application.

Dr Hao Tran, a Cardiology Advanced Trainee at Liverpool Hospital, said, "We worked with Microsoft technologists to create a bespoke prototype to allow cardiologists and anyone training in the field to query vast volumes of literature to answer clinical questions or make nuanced comparisons, traversing the significant body of literature."

Praising the efficiency of the AI, Dr Tran added, "The solution also successfully generated a comprehensive six-day training program on aortic stenosis, a common clinical problem among patients and generated comprehensive learning resources in hours, rather than days."

Dr Simon Kos, Chief Medical Officer at Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, emphasised the importance of this unique collaboration in innovating healthcare. He said, "We're excited to collaborate with Liverpool Hospital on this initiative and unlock the incredible potential of generative AI in healthcare. This innovative approach is empowering the hospital's cardiologists to stay ahead in their field, ensuring the highest standard of patient care."

The AI collaboration comes in light of Microsoft's recent report with the Tech Council of Australia, highlighting the potential economical and productivity benefits of generative AI in Australia's healthcare system. It is estimated that by 2030, AI could contribute between $5 billion and $13 billion annually to the healthcare sector in Australia.