A surgeon is celebrating after scooping a national award for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to benefit patients with leg conditions.
Mr Bharadhwaj Ravindhran, a trainee academic vascular surgeon, won the ‘Driving Prevention and Early Intervention through Digital’ category in the HSJ Digital Awards. The entry was titled ‘Tailored risk assessment and forecasting in intermittent claudication (TRAFIC)’.
TRAFIC is an innovative digital tool designed to help doctors better manage patients with intermittent claudication (IC), a condition that causes leg pain during exercise and affects millions of people worldwide. This smart system uses advanced computer algorithms to accurately identify patients who are at high risk of developing serious complications like amputations, strokes, or heart attacks.
This work identified a critical need in the management of IC – a condition affecting 230 million people worldwide. Recognising the potential for severe, devastating complications such as amputations, strokes, and heart attacks in IC patients, Mr Ravindhran developed the TRAFIC to address the following needs:
• Accurate risk stratification for IC patients
• Early identification of high-risk individuals
• Personalised intervention strategies
• Improved clinical decision-making
• Enhanced healthcare efficiency and resource allocation.
The intended outcome of TRAFIC is to significantly transform patient care by enabling timely, personalised interventions, thereby reducing morbidity and healthcare costs associated with IC complications.
The intended outcome of TRAFIC is to significantly transform patient care by enabling timely, personalised interventions, thereby reducing morbidity and healthcare costs associated with IC complications.
Mr Ravindhran said: “By helping doctors spot these high-risk patients early, TRAFIC could significantly improve patient care through timely and personalised treatment, potentially saving lives and reducing healthcare costs.
“What makes TRAFIC special is its ability to explain its decisions in a way that doctors can easily understand and trust, making it a powerful ally in patient care.
“So far, the feedback and results for the project have been really impressive, and it will definitely improve patient outcomes.”
Mr Ravindhran beat off competition from eight other finalists on the night.
He added: “I feel very honoured to have won this accolade for the Trust. I want to say a big thank you to the Academic Vascular Unit who have been unbelievably supportive of this work, the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) team, the WebV development team from Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, the responsible AI group from the University of Hull, and the patients for their constant help and support.”
Mr Ravindhran may be celebrating a double win next month, as he’s in the running for a Medipex award for another AI project which is helping benefit patients with surgical wounds.