by Xinhua writer Shao Haijun
NIEUWEGEIN, the Netherlands, June 17 (Xinhua) -- On Tuesday at St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands, doctors performed a cutting-edge new procedure on a patient's heart.
As the patient lay under anaesthesia on the operating table, there was no incision or open chest. Instead, a thin catheter travelled through a blood vessel toward the patient's heart, guided by real-time imaging and artificial intelligence (AI).
The procedure was a transcatheter mitral valve repair, a minimally invasive treatment for patients with severe mitral regurgitation. This condition causes the heart's mitral valve to fail to close properly, allowing blood to leak backward.
Leading the operation were Dr. Martin Swaans, an interventional imaging cardiologist, and Dr. Leo Timmers, an interventional cardiologist. The procedure began with a small puncture in the patient's groin. Next, Timmers advanced a catheter through the femoral vein into the right side of the heart before crossing into the left atrium, where the mitral valve was located.
Success depended on close cooperation between the two physicians. "I am the driver, and Martin is my navigation system," Timmers told Xinhua.
Sitting in front of a large monitor, Swaans watched a fused three-dimensional image generated by the DeviceGuide system developed by Dutch company Philips, which combined fluoroscopy, or X-ray imaging, with echocardiography into a single view.
"We place an ultrasound probe in the patient's esophagus, directly behind the heart," Swaans explained. "That allows us to visualize the heart structures very clearly."
"With X-ray, I can see the device itself, but Martin uses ultrasound imaging to show me precisely where I am inside the heart and where I need to go next," Timmers said.
AI is at the core of DeviceGuide. "The system can automatically recognize the position of the ultrasound probe and identify medical devices inside the patient," Swaans said. "It can help optimize image acquisition, improve device tracking and make navigation toward the target much easier."
According to Timmers, the technology helps shorten procedures and improve precision. It is the result of years of collaboration between Philips and St. Antonius Hospital.
Swaans and his team were closely involved in the development and testing of DeviceGuide, becoming the first in the world to use a prototype version in March 2023. Since then, the system has undergone further development and received regulatory approval. The commercial version was launched at the end of last year and is now being used in clinical practice in the Netherlands.
"What we are building is a fully integrated ecosystem that combines devices, imaging and software into a single procedural platform," said Bert van Meurs, chief business leader of Image-Guided Therapy at Philips Innovation Campus, on Monday. "This is where AI plays a central role, supporting workflow orchestration, image fusion, procedural intelligence and decision support."
Most procedures now take about an hour, and patients are often discharged within a day. "The procedural risk is extremely low," Swaans added.
Across Dutch hospitals, AI is beginning to transform everything from clinical documentation to workflow management and patient care. Amber Goedkoop, a board member of St. Antonius hospital, said on Tuesday that AI has enabled healthcare professionals to spend more time with patients and less time on administrative tasks such as typing reports. "AI is also helping us manage growing workloads," she added.
The hospital is also working with six other regional hospitals to develop and implement new AI applications. "I'm very excited about what AI may bring in the future," Goedkoop said.
Her optimism is echoed by recent findings in Philips' Future Health Index 2026. The survey covered more than 2,000 healthcare professionals and 20,000 patients across ten countries, revealing that AI is already delivering measurable benefits.
Nearly two-thirds of clinicians said they had increased use of AI tools at work. Meanwhile, half said AI had expanded their capacity to see patients, while many reported lower stress levels and greater confidence in decision-making, according to the survey.
For Shez Partovi, chief innovation officer at Philips, the findings signal a major shift in how healthcare professionals view technology. "For the first time, clinicians are telling us that technology is not creating additional work - it is actually giving them time back," Partovi said.
"Seventy-one percent of doctors and nurses reported that AI is improving their workflows," he added. "Clinicians are telling us that AI is helping them work more efficiently and allowing them to spend more time on what matters most: patient care."
On average, healthcare professionals surveyed said AI saves them around three hours each week-the equivalent of roughly 16 working days a year. The findings suggest healthcare systems are entering a new phase of digital transformation.
"AI is already reshaping care," Partovi said. "The next phase depends on effective implementation, integration and support across healthcare systems."
Despite rapid AI advances, physicians and technology developers agree on one point: AI is not replacing doctors.
"AI helps improve image quality, provides better visualization and supports decision-making, but it does not perform the procedure itself," Swaans said.
Partovi shares this view. "Healthcare systems around the world are facing workforce shortages, limited resources and increasing demand," he said. "In this environment, technology that can augment human capabilities becomes incredibly valuable." ■