AI tool aims to help doctors, patients better prepare for surgery

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A new tool using an artificial intelligence platform may help doctors better prepare patients for surgery.

Mohammad Rahman, a Purdue University associate professor of management, and his team developed the tool to help improve health care outcomes. They have received a Phase I SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation to support their work.

“We created patent-pending algorithms that use artificial intelligence technology to help hospitals and doctors better treat patients,” Rahman said. “Two big projects we are currently focused on are looking at improved peer-to-peer learning for doctors and quantifying how the comorbidities of patients influence their surgical outcomes.”

Rahman and his team are working with partners at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering to study patient records and outcomes to find patterns to guide future procedures. Comorbidity means more than one disease or condition is present in a person at the same time.

“For instance, we are using our tool to analyze what actionable steps a patient can take before surgery to increase their positive outcomes,” Rahman said. “Someone who is a bit overweight might be pragmatically advised to drop a few pounds instead of, based on general health guidelines, being asked to achieve impossible goals before surgery to increase the likelihood of success during and immediately following the procedure.”

The team worked with the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization to patent their technologies. For more information on licensing Purdue technologies, contact Matt Halladay at OTC at mrhalladay@prf.org.

Rahman has a startup, Rightfit Analytics, based on the Purdue intellectual property. Rightfit Analytics is based in the Purdue Railyard, a coworking space in the Purdue Research Park.

Rahman and his team are looking for additional hospitals and clinics to develop their tool.

About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university's academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. The office is housed in the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in Discovery Park District, adjacent to the Purdue campus. In fiscal year 2020, the office reported 148 deals finalized with 225 technologies signed, 408 disclosures received and 180 issued U.S. patents. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.      

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

Writer: Chris Adam, cladam@prf.org 

Source: Mohammad Rahman, mrahman@purdue.edu