Clinical follow-up using virtual voice technology helped identify complications after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with a high degree of patient satisfaction, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2024 . Explaining the rationale for the development of the virtual voice assistant for TAVI patients, study author Dr. Marta Herrero Brocal from the Dr.
Balmis General University Hospital of Alicante, Spain said, "Aortic valve stenosis is common, especially in the aging population. It can be treated with surgery or with TAVI, a less invasive procedure. Complications may occur after TAVI, especially within the first month, but due to a lack of resources, many hospitals are not able to provide the intense follow-up needed after patient discharge.
"Based on artificial intelligence and natural language processing , a new application was developed for the virtual voice assistant, 'LOLA,' which is able to make more than 40 phone calls in 2 hours, allowing us to gather follow-up information and act accordingly. Results from the TeleTAVI study indicate that we can provide excellent care virtually, without substantially increasing resources." TeleTAVI was a prospective, observational, single-center study conducted at the Dr.
Balmis General University Hospital of Alicante, Spain. All patients undergoing TAVI via the femoral artery in 2023, without language barriers , were offered the option of follow-up with the virtual voice assistant. LOLA called the patients in .