🩸 No Needle Needed: The Future of Blood Testing

Welcome AI & Healthcare enthusiasts!

Painless blood testing may no longer be a dream. A new device isolates biomarkers from a single drop, making traditional blood draws a thing of the past.

Zoom is stepping into healthcare with an AI note-taking tool, while wearable AI cameras could help prevent medication errors in operating rooms.

Let’s dive in!

Victor

TODAY’S MENU

• Blood Testing Without the Needle: Acoustic Tech Could Change Diagnostics

• Zoom Expands Into Healthcare with AI Note-Taking Tool

• Wearable AI Cameras Prevent Medication Errors in the OR

• Retina Implant Shows Promise for Restoring Vision

• AI in Nursing: A Mixed Bag of Hope and Caution

• Everything Else You Should Know this Week

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  Read time: under 5 minutes

FUTURE IS NOW

Blood Testing Without the Needle: Acoustic Tech Could Change Diagnostics

No one likes giving blood samples but researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder may have found a way around it. Their new handheld device isolates biomarkers from just a single drop of blood, using sound waves to deliver results in about an hour.

Key Details:

• The device uses “negative acoustic contrast particles” (fNACPs) activated by sound waves to pull biomarkers from a tiny blood sample.

• Blood mixed with fNACPs is placed in the device, where sound waves concentrate the biomarkers on one side for isolation and analysis.

• Fluorescent tags then reveal biomarker levels under a laser, completing the test in under 70 minutes.

Why It Matters: This acoustic-based approach could revolutionize diagnostics by delivering lab-quality testing at the point of care, eliminating the wait, discomfort, and invasiveness of traditional bloodwork—ideal for urgent conditions and bedside diagnostics.

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TELEHEALTH

Zoom Expands Into Healthcare with AI Note-Taking Tool

Earlier this month, Zoom’s CEO Eric Yuan set a new direction: AI for workplace, not just video calls. This week, Zoom announced partnering with Suki, the medical notetaking AI, to cut down clinicians’ documentation time and improve telehealth efficiency.

Key Details:

• Zoom will use Suki’s AI to generate clinical notes, summarize consults, and create follow-up docs as part of its upcoming AI Companion 2.0.

• With Suki already serving close to one million clinicians, Zoom’s telehealth presence now covers over one-third of U.S. visits.

• Both patients and clinicians are notified when AI is in use, with controls provided for managing AI functions responsibly.

• Zoom claims the AI integration could cut documentation time by up to 70%, freeing doctors to focus more on patient care.

Why It Matters: Zoom joins a growing field of healthcare tech giants in the medical transcription space. Microsoft’s Nuance and Amazon’s HealthScribe have also developed AI tools to automate clinical documentation. Both prioritize transparency by allowing clinicians to review AI-generated notes, with Microsoft reporting 79% of healthcare providers are now using AI in their practices.

AI SAVES LIVES

Wearable AI Cameras Prevent Medication Errors in the OR

In an ICU or operating room, clinicians handle multiple medications quickly under intense pressure. Even a small mix-up can lead to serious consequences. Now, a team at the University of Washington has developed an AI-powered camera system that detects potential medication errors in real time, acting as an essential safety net in these high-stakes environments.​

Key Details:

• The AI model can accurately detect medication errors, achieving an impressive 99.6% success rate in identifying potential mistakes before medications are given to patients, ensuring safety in real-time.

• Instead of reading text directly, the system relies on video data of vial size, syringe shape, and cap color to accurately identify drug errors, even amid motion and partial views in active clinical settings.

• Researchers trained the model using over 400 recordings from anesthesiology providers under varying lighting and conditions, ensuring it focuses on foreground elements to avoid background distractions.

Why It Matters: Medication errors affect millions each year, with injectable drugs being a frequent source of adverse events. This AI tool could substantially reduce these risks by acting as a critical, automated checkpoint in medication delivery, particularly in fast-paced healthcare environments.

VISION

Retina Implant Shows Promise for Restoring Vision

Science Corporation revealed results from a clinical trial for a retina implant designed to restore partial sight to individuals with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Participants in the trial were able to read text and recognize playing cards, despite being legally blind.

Key Details:

• The implant improved vision from 20/320 to 20/200 on average, just reaching the threshold of legal blindness in the U.S. After 12 months, patients could read nearly five additional lines on a standard eye chart.

• The device includes a subretinal implant, glasses with a mounted camera, and a pocket computer. Infrared light captured by the glasses is transmitted to the implant, which mimics natural vision by sending signals to the brain.

• Science Corporation acquired this technology by acquiring Pixium Vision in 2023. The company is pursuing regulatory approval in Europe, with plans to expand testing in the U.S.

Why It Matters: With 20 million Americans affected by AMD, this technology could offer a transformative solution for age-related vision loss, paving the way for broader applications in neural technology and brain-computer interfaces.

STUDY

AI in Nursing: A Mixed Bag of Hope and Caution

McKinsey’s recent study, conducted with the American Nurses Foundation, sheds light on nurses’ perspectives on AI’s growing role in healthcare, showing a blend of openness and hesitancy regarding its potential impact on patient care and clinical efficiency.

Key Numbers:

• 64% of nurses are interested in expanding AI usage in daily workflows, with 71% in the 30-39 age group being the most receptive.

• 42% think AI could improve care quality, though 23% express reservations about its effect on patient care, citing concerns over accuracy and relevance in complex patient scenarios.

• AI technology, according to 61% of respondents, needs greater accuracy to build trust, and 49% emphasize that patient interactions should remain a human task to ensure empathy and personalized care.

• AI could reclaim 20% of nurses’ shifts by reducing administrative tasks, potentially relieving workload pressures and allowing nurses to focus more on direct patient care.

Why It Matters: This report highlights an urgent need for targeted AI training that equips nurses to work effectively alongside AI tools, with calls for collaborative AI development that incorporates clinical insights. Addressing nurses’ concerns on accuracy, data security, and patient interaction can help ensure AI becomes an ally in patient care rather than an additional challenge.

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Must-Read AI Healthcare News This Week

Lenovo launches 3D avatar to converse with dementia patients: The “Alzheimer’s Intelligence” avatar, Liv, converses naturally, offering guidance derived from real-life dementia experiences, with sentiment-driven facial expressions to enhance connection.

AI to help doctors spot broken bones on X-rays: NICE endorses four AI tools in England to assist clinicians in fracture detection, aiming to reduce diagnostic errors and ease workload pressures.

CHAI to launch quality control framework for Health AI: With 3,000+ members, The Coalition for Health AI (CHAI)’s independent labs will certify AI for safety, transparency, and usability, set for release in April 2025.

The doctor behind the ‘Suicide Pod’ wants AI to assist at the end of life: It now uses basic AI to screen user readiness before assisted death, testing understanding and awareness, aiming to bypass traditional evaluation protocole.

General Catalyst raises over $1B for healthcare AI solutions: The VC firm targets early and late-stage companies deploying AI to address clinical and operational challenges in healthcare.

Avo launches Ask Avo, an AI tool within EHRs to answer clinical questions, automate tasks, and streamline patient care workflows. Early adopters include Driscoll Children’s and SUNY Downstate.

FDA approved Novocure medical device Optune Luna as a treatment for advanced cases of non-small cell lung cancer. The wearable technology delivers electrical fields that kill cancer cells.

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