Precision in practice: exploring the impact of ai and machine learning on ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia

Ultrasound Guided Regional Anaesthesia (UGRA) is a commonly utilized practice in both elective and emergency situations during surgical procedures and for pain management. Its benefits include, being non-invasive, cost-effective, readily accessible, and providing the anaesthetist with clear visuali...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Noor Ul Huda Bhatti, Syed Ghazi Ali Kirmani, Maryam Butt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pakistan Medical Association 2024-06-01
Series:Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jpma.org.pk/index.php/public_html/article/view/20467
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849394331720351744
author Noor Ul Huda Bhatti
Syed Ghazi Ali Kirmani
Maryam Butt
author_facet Noor Ul Huda Bhatti
Syed Ghazi Ali Kirmani
Maryam Butt
author_sort Noor Ul Huda Bhatti
collection DOAJ
description Ultrasound Guided Regional Anaesthesia (UGRA) is a commonly utilized practice in both elective and emergency situations during surgical procedures and for pain management. Its benefits include, being non-invasive, cost-effective, readily accessible, and providing the anaesthetist with clear visualization of essential anatomical landmarks, needle progression, and the spread of local anaesthetic. Ultrasonography has been shown to increase success rates for regional anaesthesia and decrease complications. One of the critical steps during UGRA is identifying relevant anatomical structures like nerves or vertebras. However, this aspect can be hindered by external influences such as variations in nerve structure and position, interference from noise, and positional instability. Machine learning is a promising branch of artificial intelligence. It is used to conduct predictive tasks without programming instructions by creating algorithms. Extensive research has been conducted to evaluate the influence of machine learning on innovative anaesthesia methods. In 2023, Lopez et al. published a systematic review on how Artificial Intelligence could positively impact traditional anaesthesia practices.1 Various studies included in the review employed different models to achieve variable targets during the induction of anaesthesia. In one experiment, Alkhatib et al. used Convolutional neural network (CNN) based deep trackers to track the median and sciatic nerve with a surprising accuracy of 0.87.2 Another study employed the same CNN model to locate and discriminate accurate images of sacrum, vertebral levels and intervertebral gaps during percutaneous spinal needle insertion.3 Another study used a different AI model called SVM (support vector machine) classification, image processing, and template matching to locate lumbar level L3-L4 and the ideal puncture site for epidural anaesthesia in real-time. In this experiment, anaesthetists with minimal experience in ultrasonography were able to successfully determine needle puncture sites accurately.4 All these studies utilizing AI models not only yielded beneficial results but also led to significant time savings. Considering this, anaesthesiologists nationwide must integrate effective AI models to improve their clinical practice. This would minimize adverse outcomes in regional anaesthesia and ultimately enhance patient care and satisfaction.
format Article
id doaj-art-6a4808b8cfde4d4ea4c867296d3ddb06
institution Kabale University
issn 0030-9982
language English
publishDate 2024-06-01
publisher Pakistan Medical Association
record_format Article
series Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association
spelling doaj-art-6a4808b8cfde4d4ea4c867296d3ddb062025-08-20T03:40:00ZengPakistan Medical AssociationJournal of the Pakistan Medical Association0030-99822024-06-0174710.47391/JPMA.20467Precision in practice: exploring the impact of ai and machine learning on ultrasound guided regional anaesthesiaNoor Ul Huda Bhatti0Syed Ghazi Ali Kirmani1Maryam Butt2Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Lahore, PakistanAllama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, PakistanKing Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan Ultrasound Guided Regional Anaesthesia (UGRA) is a commonly utilized practice in both elective and emergency situations during surgical procedures and for pain management. Its benefits include, being non-invasive, cost-effective, readily accessible, and providing the anaesthetist with clear visualization of essential anatomical landmarks, needle progression, and the spread of local anaesthetic. Ultrasonography has been shown to increase success rates for regional anaesthesia and decrease complications. One of the critical steps during UGRA is identifying relevant anatomical structures like nerves or vertebras. However, this aspect can be hindered by external influences such as variations in nerve structure and position, interference from noise, and positional instability. Machine learning is a promising branch of artificial intelligence. It is used to conduct predictive tasks without programming instructions by creating algorithms. Extensive research has been conducted to evaluate the influence of machine learning on innovative anaesthesia methods. In 2023, Lopez et al. published a systematic review on how Artificial Intelligence could positively impact traditional anaesthesia practices.1 Various studies included in the review employed different models to achieve variable targets during the induction of anaesthesia. In one experiment, Alkhatib et al. used Convolutional neural network (CNN) based deep trackers to track the median and sciatic nerve with a surprising accuracy of 0.87.2 Another study employed the same CNN model to locate and discriminate accurate images of sacrum, vertebral levels and intervertebral gaps during percutaneous spinal needle insertion.3 Another study used a different AI model called SVM (support vector machine) classification, image processing, and template matching to locate lumbar level L3-L4 and the ideal puncture site for epidural anaesthesia in real-time. In this experiment, anaesthetists with minimal experience in ultrasonography were able to successfully determine needle puncture sites accurately.4 All these studies utilizing AI models not only yielded beneficial results but also led to significant time savings. Considering this, anaesthesiologists nationwide must integrate effective AI models to improve their clinical practice. This would minimize adverse outcomes in regional anaesthesia and ultimately enhance patient care and satisfaction. https://jpma.org.pk/index.php/public_html/article/view/20467Ultrasoundregional anaesthesiamachine learningartificial intelligence
spellingShingle Noor Ul Huda Bhatti
Syed Ghazi Ali Kirmani
Maryam Butt
Precision in practice: exploring the impact of ai and machine learning on ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia
Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association
Ultrasound
regional anaesthesia
machine learning
artificial intelligence
title Precision in practice: exploring the impact of ai and machine learning on ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia
title_full Precision in practice: exploring the impact of ai and machine learning on ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia
title_fullStr Precision in practice: exploring the impact of ai and machine learning on ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia
title_full_unstemmed Precision in practice: exploring the impact of ai and machine learning on ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia
title_short Precision in practice: exploring the impact of ai and machine learning on ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia
title_sort precision in practice exploring the impact of ai and machine learning on ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia
topic Ultrasound
regional anaesthesia
machine learning
artificial intelligence
url https://jpma.org.pk/index.php/public_html/article/view/20467
work_keys_str_mv AT noorulhudabhatti precisioninpracticeexploringtheimpactofaiandmachinelearningonultrasoundguidedregionalanaesthesia
AT syedghazialikirmani precisioninpracticeexploringtheimpactofaiandmachinelearningonultrasoundguidedregionalanaesthesia
AT maryambutt precisioninpracticeexploringtheimpactofaiandmachinelearningonultrasoundguidedregionalanaesthesia