Advanced practice providers performing artificial intelligence–guided cardiac point-of-care ultrasound had high agreement with cardiologist review and had fewer cardiologist corrections compared with examinations performed without artificial intelligence assistance, according to findings from the AISAP-INOVA pilot study.
Results from this prospective observational study, conducted by Andrew H. Nguyen, DO, of Inova Schar Heart and Vascular in Falls Church, Virginia, and colleagues, are scheduled to be presented as a President’s Circle poster at the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 2026 Scientific Sessions and published in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.
Adult patients underwent clinically indicated cardiac point-of-care ultrasound with or without real-time artificial intelligence (AI) guidance in an observation unit. A total of 100 examinations performed by advanced practice providers following didactic training were included. Of the examinations, 64 were performed with real-time AI guidance using the AISAP AI platform, and 36 were performed without AI assistance.
Researchers evaluated advanced practice provider interpretations, blinded cardiologist overreads, and associated clinical management decisions. A complete transthoracic echocardiogram was obtained when point-of-care ultrasound identified high-risk findings.
Baseline patient demographics and clinical profiles were not found to differ between the AI-guided and non–AI-guided groups. Cardiologists agreed with advanced practice provider interpretations on major findings in more than 96% of examinations.
AI-guided examinations appeared to be associated with improved acquisition completeness and fewer cardiologist corrections. Cardiologists corrected 27% of AI-guided examinations compared with 47% of examinations performed without AI assistance. Researchers reported that the difference was driven by fewer missed or underestimated left ventricular and valvular abnormalities.
Scan duration was 13.7 minutes with AI guidance compared with 16.9 minutes without AI guidance.
Point-of-care ultrasound findings were found to be associated with management changes in 57% of patients, most commonly involving adjustments in fluid or diuretic therapy and formal cardiology consultation. Researchers also reported that 56% of patients were discharged without requiring inpatient transthoracic echocardiography, while 16% were discharged with outpatient transthoracic echocardiography referrals.
According to the researchers, AI-guided cardiac point-of-care ultrasound performed by advanced practice providers yielded high diagnostic agreement with cardiologist review and supported clinical management and discharge decisions without inpatient transthoracic echocardiography in more than half of patients.
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