Philips has debuted two new AI applications for cardiovascular ultrasound designed to help clinicians identify and analyze disease faster and with less variability.

The FDA-cleared applications include an automated tool for segmental wall motion scoring of the heart to identify coronary artery disease and software that performs automated 3D quantification of mitral regurgitation volumes for patients with heart valve disease.

The tools also identify the best images from the exam to quantify and can provide support for clinical decision making.

The applications are integrated into Philips’ EPIQ CVx and Affiniti CVx ultrasound systems.

The release of this technology comes at a time when clinicians are seeing patient volumes increase, along with staffing shortages caused by retirement and the physically demanding aspects of the job, said David Handler, vice president and business leader for Global Cardiovascular Ultrasound at Philips.

“All these things coming together is creating a very stressful environment for the echo lab,” Handler told HCB News. “We’re looking at automation as one of the tools to help solve this problem. AI is a natural tool to use to use to help in driving automation.”

The technology automates the many manual measurements taken during the exam and reduces variability among different clinicians. This can result in shorter procedures, fewer rescans and potentially faster recovery times, according to Handler.

Later this month, at the American Society of Echocardiography annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Roberto Lang, director of the Noninvasive Cardiac Imaging Lab at University of Chicago Medicine, will share the results of a new scientific abstract on using the Philips technology for detection of regional wall motion abnormalities — which can indicate adverse cardiovascular events and death in patients with cardiovascular diseases — on echocardiography.

“As clinical cases get more complex and patient volumes increase, we read hundreds of echocardiography exams daily with thousands of data points,” Lang said in a statement announcing the release of the technology. “With the integration of AI into echocardiography solutions, we can now automate some of the steps to support clinicians' decision-making, allowing them to detect, diagnose, and monitor various cardiac conditions with greater confidence and efficiency in seconds.”

The technology builds on the work of DiA Imaging Analysis, a company that has developed AI-powered software for improving ultrasound imaging analysis, that Philips acquired a year ago, and integrates it into the Philips workflow for easier adoptability among clinicians.

“As we go forward we then start to build linkages between the different components to get the ultimate in automation workflow,” Handler said. “So you'll see these things start to become an interwoven tapestry that actually may use multiple technologies within an exam or within an application”

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