Advances in healthcare that could assist Bermuda — including the use of artificial intelligence — will be covered in a talk next week by the new head of radiology at Lahey Hospital and Medical Centre.

Jalil Afnan, the chairman of the Department of Radiology at the Boston-based hospital, will be the guest speaker at the Docs for Dinner event, sponsored by Bermuda Healthcare Services, on April 2.

Dr Afnan will discuss how AI has an expanding role in the medical field not only for practitioners but also patients.

He will also speak about the process of cardiac CT (computed tomography) for coronary artery scoring practised at Lahey to determine whether arteries are blocked or narrowed by the build-up of plaque.

Dr Afnan, a dual-board certified physician who completed surgery residency training at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London hospitals, and a radiology residency at the Lahey Clinic, told The Royal Gazette: “AI is an opportunity to review the various types of machine learning we use in our practice specific to radiology and also understand where AI is becoming impactful in the rest of medical practice

“On the radiology side, we have some tools that can scan images and make findings, for example, a lung screening CT which is an annual test for a patient who is at high risk of lung cancer.

“We do an annual CT scan to look at the lungs to see if we can see early lung cancer. We have tools now to help us with that.

“The AI is reviewing all CT images and if it sees a small nodule, for example, it will alert us to that. Similar to a risk model, the size of the nodule and shape infers a level of risk of lung cancer.”

Dr Afnan emphasised that while AI is producing accurate results, it does not yet have clearance by bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration to be used in isolation.

“At some point, there will be a balance that is reached where we as a society agree that certain machine-learning algorithms are superior to human interpretation,” he said.

AI can also be used to empower patients in understanding their own conditions in plain language, enabling them to manage their health more independently.

Dr Afnan explained: “We use a tool to help interpret the radiologist’s report — it’s a tool for the patients.

“The report might be visible to the patient electronically but it is complicated and full of medical language. It discusses concepts that you need a medical degree to interpret.

“We would love to provide that level of insight to the patient so that they feel more connected with their healthcare. If you depend on your physician to constantly tell you what to do and what not to do, you are less involved in your health and wellbeing.

“It is possible to provide a similar opportunity in Bermuda. AI is powerful but the radiology reports would be of benefit to the patients if they could see the report, pull it up on a phone or computer, and have an ability to understand what it says.”

Dr Afnan said that heart diseases and cancer are major causes of death in Bermuda and practices such as coronary scoring can help to identify conditions early.

The method involves a CT scan performed on patients to detect the prevalence and density of calcified plaque in arteries.

“As an example, if you have one area of calcified plaque in one of your three coronary arteries, that would be a good candidate for a stent,” Dr Afnan said.

“If you have it in multiple areas, then it is more likely you will need surgery to treat it.

“The score itself was devised some years ago and it identifies ranges of calcification and stratifies the risks of mild, moderate or severe.

“The important thing is that a patient may be completely asymptomatic and may be harbouring a significant level of calcification which puts them at risk of a heart attack.

“This is a way to identify those patients and then provide medical or surgical treatments before a heart attack.

“We know that the Bermuda population suffers from heart disease as a cause of death so using a tool such as coronary scoring is a good way to pick up on it early so that treatment can be provided.”

As chairman of radiology, Dr Afnan said he is committed to advancing radiological care, fostering innovation and “championing excellence both clinically and academically to deliver outstanding patient care”.

Before he joined Lahey in 2009, Dr Afnan completed research fellowships in the departments of surgery and radiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in the US.

During his time at Lahey, and as senior staff radiologist, Dr Afnan has served in several leadership roles.

The Docs for Dinner event at Blu Bar and Grill in Warwick is fully subscribed.