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AI assistant helping heart patients at Murcia's La Arrixaca Hospital
New virtual monitoring system is already detecting serious cases early while reducing pressure on healthcare staff
Murcia’s Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital is continuing its push towards high-tech healthcare after becoming one of only two hospitals in Spain selected for a pioneering artificial intelligence project designed to improve the monitoring of heart patients.The initiative centres around a virtual clinical assistant called ‘Lola’, which uses AI-supported phone calls to check in regularly with patients suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hereditary heart condition that affects around one in every 500 adults.
The condition is also considered one of the leading causes of sudden death in people under 35, making early detection and ongoing monitoring especially important.
Through a series of automated but personalised calls, the system asks patients about symptoms using a medically validated questionnaire. Their answers are then analysed through an alert system that helps identify anyone whose condition may be worsening at home, allowing them to receive faster attention from specialists if needed.
The programme began in May 2025 and has already enrolled 101 patients. Early results suggest patients are responding positively, with a 79% answer rate and an 85% completion rate for the calls, which last an average of just over five minutes.
Doctors say the system is already proving useful. So far, 50 alerts have been detected, with 16% considered serious enough to require closer attention. At the same time, 83% of patients generated no alerts at all, indicating they were stable and doing well.
The technology has also allowed staff to intervene earlier in possible complications, leading to 80 follow-up actions including electrocardiograms and ultrasounds.
Importantly, the monitoring does not require patients to have special devices or even an internet connection, making it easier to use in rural areas or for people with limited access to healthcare services.
Hospital officials say the system has been particularly useful for patients beginning treatment with newer medications such as mavacamten, allowing specialists to closely monitor progress remotely while reducing the need for repeated in-person consultations.
The AI assistant has also saved healthcare staff considerable time, freeing up an estimated 116 hours of clinical work previously spent making routine follow-up calls.
The latest project forms part of a wider modernisation drive already underway at La Arrixaca, which has increasingly been incorporating advanced medical technology into patient care. Last year, the hospital announced plans to introduce a pioneering exoskeleton system aimed at helping children with severe mobility problems regain movement and improve rehabilitation treatment.
The current AI programme, developed by Bristol Myers Squibb in collaboration with Tucuvi, is also being rolled out at Madrid’s Severo Ochoa Hospital and is expected to continue until September 2027 before a possible expansion to other centres across Spain.
Regional health officials said the project reinforces La Arrixaca’s commitment to “innovation” by using artificial intelligence to improve patient care, optimise resources and strengthen personalised monitoring for people living with complex heart conditions.
staff.inc.and
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