Patient Outcomes

Cardiothoracic surgeons are studying the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to improve risk prediction in the hopes that patient outcomes also will improve. Arman Kilic, MD, and Ara A. Vaporciyan, MD, along with medical student Brian Ayers, discuss what AI and ML mean, how it can uncover previously unknown relationships in medical data, and how it can be used to assist the surgeon in the operating room.

The biggest threat to lung health in the current era is vaping. Shanda H. Blackmon, MD, MPH, moderates a discussion about the changing landscape of tobacco use, which includes vaping as the new gateway to smoking. She and colleagues, J. Robert Headrick, MD, MBA, Matthew A. Steliga, MD, and Keith S. Naunheim, MD, describe the “terrifying” statistics about vaping, why patients are oftentimes afraid to seek help, the use of graphics warnings, and why bringing smoking cessation resources to patients may become more necessary.

Despite mandates that determinants of health and differences in sex be incorporated into clinical trials, some groups—such as minorities, women, and those of lower socioeconomic status—are still underrepresented. Drs. David T. Cooke, Loretta Erhunmwunsee, and Linda W. Martin discuss why diverse groups are important, how to improve clinical trial design, and strategies to enroll more broadly representative groups into clinical trials.