AI health tool flagged blood clot, author says
8 reported
Gleb Tsipursky, a consultant and author, reports that an AI health tool he built for himself may have saved his life by flagging a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) that he initially mistook for a muscle cramp. After five days of worsening pain and swelling in his left calf, his chiropractor treated it as a muscle issue. Tsipursky then used an AI tool trained on his medical records, medications, lab work, and visit notes, which identified DVT and recommended an ultrasound. He went to the emergency room instead of following his primary care office’s advice to schedule an appointment or visit urgent care, because neither could provide the scan. An ultrasound found four clots in his left leg. Tsipursky notes that the emergency room doctors ordered imaging, interpreted results, and sent him home on blood thinners. He emphasizes that the AI did not replace doctors but helped him ask the right question in time.
What’s reported
Tsipursky had a calf cramp for five days that was tender, swollen, and worsening.
His chiropractor treated it as a muscle issue.
He used an AI health tool he built, trained on his medical records, medications, lab work, and visit notes.
The AI flagged deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and recommended an ultrasound.
His primary care office advised scheduling an appointment or going to urgent care, but neither could provide an ultrasound.
He went to the emergency room instead, where an ultrasound found four clots in his left leg.
The emergency room doctors ordered imaging, interpreted results, and sent him home on blood thinners.
Tsipursky learned that his wife’s grandfather and the mother of one of her close friends died from a pulmonary embolism.
Key figures
Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts and author of The Psychology of Generative AI Adoption at Work (Georgetown University Press, 2026)
Sources: The Guardian
