Diagnostics & Devices:
SWATT™ – Real-Time Tissue Viability Mapping Through AI-Powered Hyperspectral Imaging
Benjamin Levi, M.D.
- Professor, Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center.
- Dr. Lee Hudson-Robert R. Penn Chair in Surgery
- Division Chief of Burn,Trauma, Acute and Critical Care Surgery
Every year, hundreds of thousands of burn and trauma patients are misclassified because clinicians cannot accurately determine whether tissue is dead or alive. Dr. Benjamin Levi and his team at UTSW have developed SWATT™, a breakthrough diagnostic device that uses short-wave infrared hyperspectral imaging and machine learning to map tissue viability in real-time. Unlike traditional methods, SWATT is label-free, contactless, and captures molecular signals, like hydration and collagen structure, that directly reflect cellular damage. Future versions of the device will include AR-guided visualization and automatic recommendations for fluid resuscitation, enabling smarter, faster treatment decisions at the bedside or in the field. With first-in-human data already submitted and external validation underway, SWATT has the potential to redefine how surgeons and emergency teaM.S. assess injury and save tissue.
