McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, Va., became the first veterans hospital in the U.S. to onboard Medtronic's GI Genius endoscopy system, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said Oct. 5.
The artificial intelligence device helps detect polyps during colonoscopies. It's compatible with any colonoscopy video and uses AI to recognize the presence of precancerous lesions with a visual marker in real time.
McGuire VA Medical Center performs an average of 2,500 colonoscopies per year, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"When the AI detects an abnormality, a visual and audible signal is generated to alert the endoscopist," said Michael Fuchs, MD, PhD, the center's chief of gastroenterology and hepatology. "This assisted technology increases the ability of the endoscopist to detect these serious lesions outside of the field of vision."