Airtel, Apollo carry out India’s first 5G-driven, AI-guided colonoscopy trial

According to a press statement, the trial was conducted using AI on Airtel’s 5G technology as a result of which the colon cancer got detected much faster and with greater accuracy.

“As a result of the AI-guided colonoscopy procedure, the image processing happened in real-time without any lag even when the physician moved the scope through the colon for it to be overlaid on top of the right element of the colon. The advent of this technology enables an “extra pair of eyes” for physicians and improves the detection rate of polyps, thus saving lives and vastly improving patient care. The data was processed by Avesha edge inferencing applications on AWS platforms in real-time resulting in much faster analysis,” the company said in a statement.

AI assisted colonoscopy polyp detection trial will help doctors to improve quality of patient care, improve accuracy of detection rates by capturing information correctly and reducing errors.

5G, Edge computing and artificial intelligence can significantly improve patient outcomes by assisting in proper and timely diagnoses, it said.

Currently, colon cancer is detected through colonoscopy procedure which is manual and requires great attention and time from medical practitioners for accurate detection. Not only is the procedure long, taking up to 30 to 40 minutes per case, it is also discomforting for patients and for the doctors and nurses who have to perform the procedure.

“Ultra-fast, low latency 5G networks will transform the Healthcare sector in the country. At Airtel, we are geared up to lead this transformation and have demonstrated this by conducting India’s first colonoscopy trials. Healthcare is one of the most promising use cases for 5G, and we are delighted to collaborate with Apollo Hospitals, AWS, HealthNet Global, and Avesha. This is just the beginning, and I am certain we will bring many more innovative use cases that will help redefine healthcare in the country,” said Ajay Chitkara, CEO and director, Airtel Business.

“By augmenting doctor’s ability to detect, AI has been proven to improve physician’s accuracy. Early detection and removal of polyps can easily avoid them from becoming cancerous. Apollo has always been a forerunner in the adoption of technology. Our patient-centric approach keeps us on an outlook for technologies that can make outcomes better,“ said Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group.

Colonoscopy procedures for early detection and prevention of cancers is being advised for all men and women above 45 years of age. In India, where the target population is large in terms of numbers, solutions built on 5G and AI are key to assist doctors to bring quality care to the maximum population