AI medical interpreter for cardiothoracic and vascular surgery
Opalite gives cardiothoracic and vascular surgery teams real-time interpretation in 150+ languages and dialects, 24/7, from the preoperative consent visit to the CTICU and the first wound check.
Today's challenge
What gets in the way of interpretation in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery today
Valve consent waits on a booking
A moved valve replacement or add-on bypass falls outside the in-person interpreter's original consent booking.
A son relaying CTICU updates
With the surgeon in the phone interpreter queue, a son or bilingual nurse passes chest tube and pacing wire news to the rest of the family.
Facing the clinic computer
The surgeon faces the clinic computer instead of the patient during the interpreted risk discussion.
Cost of inaction
Language interpretation remains a need in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery
13.1%
of 1,794 stays after pediatric heart surgery in one Houston cardiac ICU involved a patient preferring Spanish.
Meet Opalite.
Real-time AI medical interpretation in 150+ languages and dialects, connecting providers and patients in seconds.
- Works on the devices care teams already carry: phones, tablets, computers, and telehealth platforms
- Integrates with all EHRs
- Built for HIPAA-compliant healthcare
- SOC 2 Type II attested security controls
Workflow
How Opalite fits cardiothoracic and vascular care
| Stage | What happens | How Opalite supports it |
|---|---|---|
| Preoperative clinic | Bypass, valve or aortic repair consent, risks and medication holds | Two-way interpretation on the clinic computer or a tablet, with no interpreter booking |
| CTICU and step-down | Extubation checks, pain scores and overnight family updates | Available 24/7 on a bedside tablet, with no wait for a callback on night updates |
| Discharge and follow-up | Sternal precautions, wound checks and vascular warning signs | Phone interpretation on any line, with clinician review of documentation before the EHR |
Clinical use cases
Interpret the conversations that matter most
Sternal precautions
EnglishDo not lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk, and do not push yourself up with your arms.
SpanishNo levante nada más pesado que un galón de leche y no se empuje con los brazos para levantarse.
Splinting the incision to cough
EnglishHold this pillow tight against your chest, take a deep breath, and cough hard.
Chinese (Mandarin)把这个枕头紧紧抱在胸前，深吸一口气，然后用力咳嗽。
Pain scores before chest tube removal
EnglishOn a scale from 0 to 10, how bad is the pain around your chest tube?
Arabicعلى مقياس من 0 إلى 10، ما شدة الألم حول أنبوب الصدر؟
Leg and groin warning signs
EnglishIf your foot turns cold, pale or numb, or your groin starts to swell, call us right away.
SpanishSi el pie se le pone frío, pálido o adormecido, o la ingle se le empieza a hinchar, llámenos de inmediato.
Anticoagulation with a mechanical valve
EnglishWith your new valve, never skip your blood thinner, not even for one day.
Chinese (Mandarin)换了新瓣膜以后，抗凝药一天都不能漏吃。
Pricing
Pricing for cardiothoracic and vascular surgery services
A long consent costs the same. Stroke and bleeding risk talk in a long valve consent adds no per-minute charge to your flat site or department rate.
In your area
25.5 million people in the U.S. speak English less than “very well.”
How many live near you? Search your state, ZIP code, or town.
Darker states have a higher share of residents who speak English less than very well; shading is logarithmic, relative to the highest-share state.
| State | Share | People |
|---|---|---|
| California | 17.2% | 6,377,000 |
| Texas | 13.1% | 3,532,000 |
| New York | 13.1% | 2,486,000 |
| New Jersey | 12.2% | 1,060,000 |
| Florida | 11.8% | 2,389,000 |
| Hawaii | 11.2% | 152,900 |
| Nevada | 11.1% | 320,200 |
| Massachusetts | 9.5% | 631,900 |
| New Mexico | 8.7% | 172,700 |
| Illinois | 8.5% | 1,027,000 |
| Connecticut | 8.4% | 288,200 |
| Rhode Island | 8.4% | 87,250 |
| Arizona | 8.1% | 542,400 |
| Washington | 7.6% | 547,600 |
| Maryland | 7.1% | 411,700 |
| Virginia | 5.8% | 469,000 |
| Colorado | 5.5% | 295,600 |
| Georgia | 5.4% | 541,600 |
| District of Columbia | 5.4% | 34,600 |
| Oregon | 5.4% | 214,100 |
| Nebraska | 5.1% | 93,560 |
| Delaware | 4.9% | 45,460 |
| Utah | 4.7% | 140,000 |
| Kansas | 4.5% | 124,100 |
| Minnesota | 4.5% | 239,600 |
| North Carolina | 4.5% | 439,200 |
| Pennsylvania | 4.4% | 544,000 |
| Alaska | 4.3% | 29,650 |
| Oklahoma | 3.8% | 142,200 |
| Idaho | 3.7% | 62,850 |
| Iowa | 3.4% | 100,800 |
| Michigan | 3.4% | 318,900 |
| Arkansas | 3.2% | 90,380 |
| Indiana | 3.2% | 200,900 |
| Tennessee | 3.1% | 197,500 |
| Wisconsin | 3.0% | 164,200 |
| Louisiana | 2.8% | 123,500 |
| South Carolina | 2.8% | 132,700 |
| Ohio | 2.5% | 281,500 |
| Kentucky | 2.4% | 101,800 |
| New Hampshire | 2.4% | 31,410 |
| Missouri | 2.1% | 123,000 |
| Alabama | 2.1% | 98,720 |
| South Dakota | 1.9% | 15,800 |
| North Dakota | 1.9% | 13,810 |
| Wyoming | 1.8% | 9,923 |
| Mississippi | 1.6% | 44,870 |
| Maine | 1.4% | 18,140 |
| Vermont | 1.3% | 7,705 |
| Montana | 0.8% | 7,731 |
| West Virginia | 0.6% | 11,060 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS (states 2017-2021; metros 2024 or 2020-2024). Limited English: residents 5+ who speak English less than “very well.”
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Explore
Where cardiothoracic and vascular surgery is practiced
Related
See Opalite in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery.
Run a valve consent or sternal precautions conversation in your patients' languages.