World first as Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary burn centre trials AI imaging tool DeepView

Health Correspondent Helen Ford reports on a new AI imaging tool that provides information about a burn injury which cannot be seen by eye

Teams at a Newcastle hospital have become the first in the world to trial a medical tool which uses artificial intelligence to help predict how quickly burns will heal.

The device, known as DeepView, is being tested at the Northern Regional Burn Centre, at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), with the aim of bringing benefits to staff and patients.

The tool can be used from the day of a person's injury, providing information about the burn which cannot be seen by eye.

The data is guiding medical teams on whether a burn will heal naturally or if the patient will need an operation, usually in the form of a skin graft.

Consultant burn surgeon, Chris Lewis, explained: "It's allowing us to scan burn injuries on the day they've happened and it's giving us a much earlier analysis of burn depth."

He continued: "Ultimately it's a lot better at looking at burn wounds than we are and that means we can have high quality data and early decision making on whether someone needs an operation or not."

The device can be taken to patients' bedsides, used in out-patient clinics and in operating theatres.

A hand-held section of the machine is lined up close to the burn, providing images on a screen across different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.

So far the wounds of more than 50 patients, ranging from early adulthood to older age, have been analysed using the technology.

Nursing sister Sophie Robson, who is among those using the device, said it is simple and quick to operate.

She told ITV Tyne Tees: "All nurses can use it, it's not limited to specific training. We can read it, feed it back to the patient."

She continued: "People like something technical, don't they, so I think having something they can visibly see as well as a clinician's opinion I think sometimes gives them a little bit more of a confidence really."

DeepView was introduced at the RVI in the summer of 2024 and is now being used at a handful of other centres in the UK.

Every few months the AI tool is updated so it is continually "learning".

Mr Lewis explained: "It's constantly being taught by new photographs, new skin biopsies, or skin samples (that) have been performed and it's also taught by expert burn surgeons in the US."

It is hoped the ability to make speedier decisions about a person's treatment can enable operations to be carried out at an earlier stage, and for those not requiring surgery, the ability to leave hospital and return home.

In turn, this could reduce the anxiety often felt by patients as they wait to discover the extent of their injuries.

Among those to receive the new analysis is Paul Loates.

He was admitted to the centre with painful burns to his legs, after returning to the North East from a holiday in Turkey.It is thought the burns were a reaction to regular medication which made him highly sensitive to sunlight.

Mr Loates was delighted to hear the wounds are expected to heal themselves and he would not require an operation.

Asked how reassured he was by the news, he said: "Oh - tonnes, knowing I'm not going to have an operation and everything."

He added: I wasn't looking forward to the skin grafts. (The) sooner I can get home the better."Following its next update, the AI tool will be ready to be used on children who have suffered burns.

As it develops, the device should also be able to estimate the size of burns, providing further, crucial information for medical teams.

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