Ultrasound technology has leveled-up since the onset of the pandemic.

Kevin Goodwin

February 2, 2022

4 Min Read
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Image courtesy of Panther Media GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

From vaccines to telehealth to imaging, the pandemic has been driving a huge boom in health tech. COVID-19 sparked new and growing demand for devices that diagnose and treat myriad ailments, injuries, and chronic conditions. One focus, in particular, has been in AI-powered portable ultrasound, and it’s generating notable investments and news-generated buzz . In 2021 alone, Exo secured $220 Million for its AI/ultrasound platform. Butterfly IQ, completed its merger with Longview Acquisition in a $1.5 billion SPAC deal and partnered with Caption Health. My company, EchoNous, secured $60 million to support the growth of Kosmos, an AI-guided handheld point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) device.

While ultrasound has been around for half a century, it’s only been democratized in the last couple of decades. Before then, only trained radiologists could capture and analyze ultrasound images. Portable POCUS devices - like the industry-pioneering SonoSite - have enabled greater access to ultrasound tools for healthcare providers.

However, this movement toward ubiquity has made proper image capture more operator-dependent and wider-ranging in quality, depending largely on user capability and experience. After all, imaging is a carefully honed skill. However, the fact that POCUS is available at patients’ bedsides or points of care, rather than having to send patients to ultrasound labs, increases the cumulative impact that POCUS can have on imaging and outcomes.

The recent interest and investment we’ve seen in the space has come about primarily because the pandemic has increased demand  - especially for portable ultrasound devices in cardiac and pulmonary imaging. Johns Hopkins University recently documented one important use-case in which their physicians deployed the Kosmos device to assess and monitor COVID patients. They found the technology’s ease-of-use valuable and were able to scan patients without having to move as many patients to Radiology - simultaneously getting faster scans while reducing the risk of spreading the virus.

The integration of AI into POCUS devices, coupled with greater portability and lower costs, has driven the broader adoption of these devices. The POCUS market size exceeded USD 3.1 billion in 2020 and is predicted to witness a compound annual growth rate of 6.4% from 2021 to 2027. Some of the major factors that are fostering this market growth[1] include rising demand for ultrasound machines in emergency departments, the increasing risk of several chronic diseases in geriatric as well as other adult populations, growing birth rates, and the overall technological advancements in the POCUS arena itself.

Additionally, the diagnostic segment dominated more than 65% of the POCUS market share in 2020. Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases worldwide has also spurred demand for imaging tools, as ultrasound helps in early detection of diseases and minimizes treatment costs. There is also no severe risk in using diagnostic ultrasound, as it uses low-power sound waves. Furthermore, using ultrasound for diagnostic procedures is more cost-effective when compared with other medical imaging technology.

In an open access case report, researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, studied the novel use of deep learning-derived technology trained on the skilled hand movements of cardiac sonographers, which guides novice users to acquire high-quality bedside cardiac ultrasound images. The researchers found that the use of AI in medicine can simplify tasks that traditionally require highly trained individuals to complete. And as our knowledge of AI algorithms increases, we will see more and more of their use in clinical practice. They also concluded that reviewing these types of cases may suggest how this technology could be expanded to additional units within the hospital, thereby utilizing POCUS while continuing to limit transmission of coronavirus to staff, as well as outside of the hospital. This is especially critical in resource-limited settings where cardiac sonographers are not readily available.[2]

AI has also enabled training technology for medical students, offering real time guidance and helping demonstrate the proper use of point-of-care technology. The AI is applied to training modules and the technology itself, guiding students and enhancing their skills to teach them how to take bedside ultrasound before they even begin practicing at a medical facility.

AI has up leveled POCUS tools and empowered them to go head-to-head with what were considered to be the gold-standard in ultrasound technology: larger, cart-based models that have been around considerably longer. Of course, when the technology successfully competes with that gold standard and is less expensive and more flexible for healthcare providers, we have a winning combination that improves outcomes for more patients worldwide.

 

[1] https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/point-of-care-ultrasound-market

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666084920314637?via%3Dihub

About the Author(s)

Kevin Goodwin

A visionary in cultivating new possibilities in ultrasound technology, Kevin Goodwin offers EchoNous his singular passion for advancing the state of the art in ultrasound. Starting his ultrasound career in 1987, Kevin has 31 years of industry experience in which 20 of the years have been focusing specifically on the democratization of point-of-care ultrasound. Prior to his founding of EchoNous, Kevin served for 17 years as founder and CEO of the multinational, point-of-care innovator, SonoSite Inc. His achievements there in new market creation, fostering a culture of innovation, and phenomenal long-term sales growth earned accolades from customers and investors around the world.

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