Researchers in Bern have developed an AI-based model that can calculate the risk of postoperative infection immediately after surgery.
Until now, the assessment of the risk of complications, such as wound infections, pneumonia, and sepsis, has relied primarily on simple factors known before surgery, such as age, pre-existing conditions, or, in some cases, genetic predispositions.
But what clues do the body’s reactions during the procedure provide about the risk of complications?
Hugo Guillen-Ramirez is co-lead of an interdisciplinary team of clinical researchers, data scientists, and infectious disease specialists from Bern investigating this.
He is a researcher at the Department of Biomedical Research and the University Clinic for Visceral Surgery and Medicine at Inselspital, Bern University Hospital.
He said: ‘The body sends out numerous signals during surgery: vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation. We wanted to find out whether, by using these signals, we could better identify which patients might develop complications later on. Our goal is to anticipate complications as early as possible, not just identify them as they occur. The sooner we know who is at increased risk, the more targeted the response can be.’
For the study, the research team analysed data from more than 10,000 surgeries at Inselspital. They combined information routinely collected in clinical practice, such as patients’ age and pre-existing conditions, or the type and duration of surgery, with vital signs continuously monitored during surgery.
This data was fed into CARESCORE, a new AI model developed by the research team in Bern. This allowed the model to identify complex patterns and associations that would otherwise be too difficult to recognise.
Guillen-Ramirez said: ‘The result was astonishing. The model can calculate the individual risk of postoperative infection just a few seconds after surgery ends, and with significantly greater accuracy than previous models, which only considered preoperative data.’
By incorporating vital signs collected during surgery, it is possible to identify an increased risk of infection immediately after the procedure and to monitor and treat at-risk patients early and in a targeted manner, according to the study authors.
The body can therefore provide valuable clues during surgery about other complications that may arise later.
