Medical AI software developer VUNO has received regulatory approval from the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for its latest AI medical device that can predict cardiac arrest. 

WHAT IT'S ABOUT

The VUNO Med DeepCARS is an AI device that analyses the potential risk of cardiac arrest using four primary vital signs: blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate and body temperature. Collected from patients' electronic medical records, these vital signs provide reliable early cardiac arrest prediction, the company said in a press statement.

WHY IT MATTERS

Cardiac arrests in hospitals have a high mortality rate of 75%, according to research published in the Korean Journal of Anesthesiology. VUNO says its latest AI tool will enable medical professionals to mount a "more rapid and efficient" response to in-hospital cardiac arrest. 

"The ability to utilise key vital signs, which are routinely collected from in-ward patients, can facilitate broader adoption of the device in a wide range of clinical environments," the company said.

THE LARGER TREND

VUNO Med DeepCARS was designated as a breakthrough medical device by the MFDS last year in September. It has been studied in a clinical trial at the Asan Medical Center in Seoul, the findings of which were published in various emergency medicine journals, including Resuscitation, Journal of the American Heart Association, and Critical Care Medicine.

In other news, VUNO's AI-enabled chest x-ray diagnostic solution has been integrated into a premium mobile digital radiograph system by Samsung Electronics. Powered by VUNO's AI algorithm, the GM85 system can rapidly spot suspected chest abnormalities indicative of major pulmonary diseases, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and lung cancer. The device is slated for commercial release later this year in South Korea and other major global markets.

ON THE RECORD

"We seek to help save lives by urging the rapid adoption of VUNO Med DeepCARS in hospitals. [T]he regulatory approval of VUNO Med DeepCARS heralds the beginning of a wider application of our highly-promising biosignal-based AI technology," said VUNO Chairman Lee Yeha.