Caption Health and Ultromics, who use AI to improve heart ultrasound diagnostics, has announced a strategic partnership to accelerate cardiovascular disease detection and treatment for more patients in more accessible care settings.
Together, the companies will jointly offer the Caption AI software platform alongside Ultromics’ EchoGo deep ultrasound analytics – allowing more providers the ability to perform ultrasounds and automatically calculate key indicators of heart function, which drive earlier and more accurate disease diagnosis.
Access to proper cardiac health care is a global problem, leading to countless preventable deaths. A limited number of specialists are available to perform and analyse cardiac ultrasounds – a key diagnostic procedure for identifying the beginning or progression of heart failure, valve disease, and coronary artery disease. According to a recent study, 46% of patients in the US diagnosed with heart failure in acute care settings had potential symptoms at primary care clinic visits in the previous six months – these issues were also more prevalent among women and Black patients. Meanwhile the NHS is receiving £5.9 billion to clear treatment backlogs and improve diagnostic services, reflecting the great need exacerbated by recent global events.
The platforms have already begun changing this landscape. Caption Guidance, which received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA, is the leading AI acquisition and guidance software for cardiac ultrasound. Ultromics’ EchoGo has dramatically eased the burden on experts by delivering automated analysis of left ventricular volumes, ejection fraction, cardiac strain, and diagnostic support of heart failure and coronary artery disease, saving significant time for users and – most importantly – improving outcomes by reducing variability between operators and equipment. Now, by linking these platforms, images acquired using Caption AI can be analysed through Ultromics’ EchoGo platform, making advanced diagnostic capabilities that had been limited to experts in specialty care settings and expanding their access to more doctors and patients in more places. In the new year, these integrated capabilities are expected to be available on the Butterfly iQ+ platform, as part of Butterfly Network and Caption Health’s strategic partnership.
Steve Cashman, president and CEO of Caption Health, said: “More efficiently delivered and robust patient care is a necessity for the healthcare system to really improve. This means empowering the entire care team and making diagnostics a key part of care that’s more accessible to patients. With the combination of Ultromics’ enhanced analysis and Caption AI, providers will be able to capture images earlier and get more out of those images, maximising benefits for patients. Together, we’ll help drive the move to earlier detection and diagnosis of cardiac disease in patients – enabling proper management alongside more cost-efficient and timely care.”
Ross Upton, founder and CEO of Ultromics, added: “EchoGo is already delivering to experts an expansive set of fully automated, advanced clinical analysis and diagnostic support modules. This joint agreement will carry our platform beyond the walls of the imaging lab, allowing new providers with less experience the ability to perform diagnostic ultrasounds and gain advanced measurements of cardiac function and diagnostic support, for earlier and more accessible detection of cardiovascular disease.”
