Nursing teams at Newcastle Hospitals can now identify blood clots in patients faster than ever before, thanks to the use of cutting-edge AI technology.
Bloods clots can cause life threatening conditions such as deep vein thrombosis which usually occurs in a vein in the leg, or pulmonary embolism which happens in a blood vessel in the lung.
The leading cause of preventable deaths in patients who have stayed in hospital, identifying and treating them quickly is a priority.
Since August 2024 over six months, the new software has led to a 56% reduction in avoidable clots in ‘at risk’ patients during their hospital stay
Previously, five specialist nurses at the Freeman and Royal Victoria Infirmary hospitals carried out manual searches of CT scans and ultrasound reports, to find inpatients with a blood clot that had occurred since their admission to hospital.
This important screening is necessary because these patients are at higher risk of further clots and consequent health problems during their stay.
The screening process could previously take up to 10 hours a week per nurse, with over 900 scans performed in the hospitals each day.
The AI software now automatically scans the electronic reports and creates a daily list of all blood clots found on scans since a patient was admitted. It creates a bird’s eye view of newly found blood clots, through a data dashboard. This means patients can be investigated and treated much faster and, most importantly, future preventable clots can be avoided.
Vikki Maher, nurse specialist working with patients with blood clots at Newcastle Hospitals, said:
“This system has hugely improved how we manage and care for patients with blood clots.
“We can monitor, investigate and reduce risk faster and provide earlier specialist care. Patients are also now benefiting from early specialist care.
“The system is saving our team of specialist nurses on average two hours a day that we previously spent searching through scans. This gives us more time to spend with patients.”
The innovative development is the result of a dedicated partnership between the thrombosis team, healthcare innovation partners at Solventum and Newcastle Hospital’s digital team.
Dr Kate Musgrave, consultant haematologist at Newcastle Hospitals, said:
“This collaboration has not only enhanced patient safety, but also it sets a benchmark for how we use AI to streamline clinical processes and free up vital staff time.
“Using AI in this way has the potential to be rolled out more widely, and to identify a range of health issues for patients.”
The initiative has won a prestigious national Nursing Times Workforce Award 2025 for the Best Use of Workplace Technology.
