Nico.lab: Acute Cardiac Care

The acute care sector faces various challenges, such as increasing workloads and time pressure. Innovations in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) offer a viable solution, particularly in the acute care setting, where time is of the essence. To improve stroke care, the Dutch startup company Nico.lab has developed StrokeViewer: an AI product that provides a complete assessment of relevant imaging biomarkers in less than three minutes, thereby helping radiologists diagnose stroke patients faster. Now that StrokeViewer is used in twelve hospitals in the Netherlands, Nico.lab was interested in gaining insight into which other acute care areas could also benefit from AI technology, for which they approached the Tesla minor. 

The main goal of our project was to investigate how AI can improve patients’ lives and enhance clinical workflows within the acute care sector where every second counts. We were eager to dive into this question, motivated by our passion for health care and our enthusiasm to apply our scientific backgrounds to a practical problem. During our project, we conducted literature research, interviewed various medical specialists and assessed competitors and their AI products. 

Based on our findings, we selected the most promising case: myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack. Considering the high prevalence, pressing need for speed, little competition and gaps in the current clinical workflow, we recommended Nico.lab to develop an AI solution to improve MI diagnosis. We advised Nico.lab to develop a product for MI, CardioViewer, that would assist cardiologists and other health care professionals within the clinical decision-making process and thereby improve patients’ lives.

Luuk Lamens, Ieva Gembutaite and Eva Abels