Cincinnati, April 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CINCINNATI (April 2, 2026) – An artificial intelligence (AI) virtual assistant designed to help patients suffering from heart failure with reduced ejection fraction performed better than the current standard of care in a pilot randomized controlled trial. This AI virtual assistant is the first of its kind and was created by Eliano Navarese, MD, PhD, Senior Scholar at The Carl & Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education at The Christ Hospital Health Network.
Dr. Navarese has taught and practiced clinical-academic medicine in Canada, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands. Poland and the United States. He says patients can use this tool instead of calling the “on-call” physician who would have to access and review their medical records before recommending treatment. The AI virtual assistant provides the diagnosis and optimal treatment recommendation in real-time which is then approved by the cardiologist on call. Better care, faster, for all involved.
“This generative AI tool incorporates the knowledge of expert physicians in the field right at the fingertips of a primary care provider,” said Dr. Navarese. “Everything is done in real-time which protects against human error so that optimal therapy based on current guidelines is provided. This tool has the opportunity to revolutionize care, especially in rural settings where specialists like cardiologists may not be available. While additional trials are still needed, we believe this first study shows promise for the healthcare of the future.”
Despite advancements in cardiovascular care, heart disease remains the number one killer of both men and women in America. Heart failure is the number one hospital discharge diagnosis for Medicare, consuming enormous resources and costing more than $35 billion each year. The advanced AI virtual assistant is generative and interactive, not a chatbot or algorithm, which sets it apart from other artificial intelligence.
“We were privileged to have Dr. Navarese here at The Christ Hospital Health Network,” said Dean Kereiakes, MD, FACC, MSCAI, and Chairman of The Christ Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute. “While healthcare systems continue to address the shortage of physicians nationwide, this tool can enhance the quality and efficiency of patient care. The virtual assistant provides information and therapeutic options based on current clinical practice guidelines in real-time to physicians to get the best treatment faster for patients, which results in better outcomes. This could be a live-saving tool and we believe that advanced technology like this is essential to address the issues facing healthcare delivery today.”
The study was recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) and can found here.
About The Christ Hospital Health Network
The Carl and Edyth Lindner Center for Research and Education at The Christ Hospital is one of the top clinical cardiovascular research centers in the United States. The Lindner center has introduced more than 25 first-in-the-world and more than 45 first-in-the-U.S new medical devices or medications. The Christ Hospital Health Network consists of an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn, a remote hospital location in Liberty Township, five ambulatory outpatient centers and dozens of medical offices throughout the region. For 136 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to those it serves. Made up of more than 1,300 physicians and more than 7,200 team members, our mission is to improve the health of our community by providing exceptional outcomes in an affordable way. The Network was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in the Cincinnati Region, named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list in 2026.
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Attachments
James Buechele The Christ Hospital Health Network james.buechele@thechristhospital.com
