Introducing AI Health Highway
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the world’s no 1 killer—over 41 million patients are lost every year, with 2/3rd of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries like India. Cardiovascular & Respiratory Disorders (CVDs) are the largest chunk of NCDs. Most of the deaths from CVDs are preventable, if these diseases are diagnosed in time.
This is where AI Health Highway comes in with their mission of enabling early detection of NCDs. They do this by integrating the good old stethoscope with state-of-the-art signal processing, AI, and Machine Learning to enable easier screening, early detection, and prediction of heart & lung disorders.
Using their flagship product AI Steth, even a non-specialist can conduct a thorough examination of patients’ vitals. The device can automatically detect abnormal heart and lung patterns, thus assisting health workers in conducting a more objective diagnosis.
The audio and visual information recorded can be stored securely and shared with specialists for follow-ups. The device is also designed to work in remote areas with low network connectivity.
As per WHO, for every $1 invested to tackle NCDs, the ROI is $7. We believe this solution fits right into this paradigm and can have a massive public health & social impact in India and the global south.
This is what the founders had to say
“AiSteth – See the Sound” brings in a fundamental shift to the technology, i.e. traditionally doctors have been using a stethoscope for more than 200+ years to listen to the heart, lung, and other body sounds to identify normal /abnormal conditions. However, the “art of auscultation” and expertise were limited to highly skilled physicians and specialists – hence, the utility was limited to physicians and the years of experience behind the stethoscope.
Our technology converts the acoustic sound waves into visual signature patterns and combined with AI/ML models to read, interpret, and detect the events– the highly skilled art of auscultation is now made available to any healthcare professional, unlocking disruptive use-cases across the healthcare value chain, especially in low-resource settings (eg with no Cardiologist, Echocardiography test).
Approximately 40–50% of Indians still have to travel more than 100 km to consult specialists in a hospital, and access diagnostic tests, and reports that require specialized interpretation.
India is a large country with a population of 1.4 billion people living in 6-7 lakh villages, while India has only 5500 Cardiologists and 2500 Pulmonologists. One of the biggest problems in healthcare is still the lack of specialists and easy access to hospitals for screening and early detection of diseases. Technology can play a significant role in helping to address issues related to price, accessibility, and providing high-quality services to the final mile of the Indian population.
The AsMAP (AiSteth Murmur Analysis Platform) assists healthcare professionals in the detection of murmurs and screening of Valvular Heart Disorders.
19 primary healthcare clinics in rural Maharashtra have it installed as part of the Smart PHCs initiative. ASHA employees, nurses, and MBBS physicians use AiSteth in PHCs, screening camps, and door-to-door campaigns. This aids in the triage and screening process for valve disorders and helps determine which patients require referral to a cardiologist for additional testing (echocardiograms) and therapy. When implemented widely, these advancements in PHCs can aid in the early detection and screening of cardiopulmonary disorders.
We have screened more than 40,000+ patients within 18 months of the launch of AsMAP and are working on other clinical segments in Cardiology and Respiratory Disorders.
Team Ai Health Highway is thrilled to have Rainmatter as our investor and to support our mission to democratize healthcare! This partnership will help us strengthen our footprint in India, seek regulatory approvals outside India, and ultimately help us develop a Global Ai product from Namma Bangalore/ India!
Here’s a short video explaining what we do.
