ISTANBUL

Experts have indicated that the expanding use of artificial intelligence (AI) in cardiovascular surgery allows doctors to determine surgical techniques days before an operation and reduces the duration of operations.

Umit Kervan, president of the Health Institutes of Türkiye (TUSEB), told Anadolu that as scientists, his colleagues closely follow every stage of technological development in medicine to ensure the most appropriate treatment for patients.

"Today, we use technological and AI-powered devices as well as related software, particularly in imaging methods," said Kervan.

He noted that in the past, surgeons had to decide on the surgical technique during the operation. "Thanks to three-dimensional imaging technologies, it is now possible to determine the surgical method before the procedure," he said. "With new imaging methods, we can inform patients beforehand about the operations to be performed on the heart and main vessels, and we can explain which surgical technique we will use.”

Highlighting that AI facilitates the work of surgeons, Kervan said that thanks to new software and mobile apps, patients can be monitored from home and treatments can be provided remotely, which helps reduce hospital workload.

"In the past, our surgeries used to last a full day, but now they take much less time. As operations take less time, complications have decreased. With fewer complications, patients need shorter hospital stays. We can discharge them more easily and monitor them from home," he said.

Kervan added that AI technology also enables surgeons to focus on lesions invisible to the naked eye, reducing the likelihood of missing critical details and allowing for more precise decisions.

Noting that engineers and health care professionals in Türkiye now work together in developing medical software, Kervan said: "As scientists, we have started to become part of a health care system that not only consumes but also produces technology. In the near future, you will see software and devices jointly developed by Turkish scientists, doctors and engineers will be used in health care."

He said domestic software now allows not only the monitoring of patients in Türkiye but also the follow-up of those receiving treatment abroad.