The British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) is supporting a research project exploring whether AI-enabled handheld cardiac ultrasound can help improve the early diagnosis of heart failure due to reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, while maintaining the high standards of governance, training and quality that underpin UK echocardiography.
Heart failure remains a major and growing challenge for patients and the NHS. Despite clear diagnostic pathways and effective treatments, many patients experience delayed diagnosis because access to specialist echocardiography has become a significant bottleneck. Workforce shortages, long waiting times and regional variation mean that timely imaging is not always available - particularly in deprived and rural communities - contributing directly to delayed treatment and poorer outcomes.
Handheld ultrasound technology is becoming increasingly accessible, with growing interest in its use beyond traditional settings. As this technology moves closer to widespread use with support from the Department of Health and Social Care, the BSE believes it is essential that its introduction is underpinned by robust governance, minimum training standards and a clear understanding of how it fits alongside established echocardiography services.
The SCAN-EF study has been designed to address the evidence gap in this area. The study will evaluate whether AI-supported handheld cardiovascular ultrasound, delivered by trained non-specialist practitioners, can provide reliable assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with raised NT-proBNP and symptoms suggestive of heart failure. The study plans to recruit approximately 300 patients across Leeds and London, with all findings compared against full Level 2 echocardiography.
Crucially, the project is not about replacing comprehensive echocardiography or the echocardiographer’s role. Instead, it seeks to understand whether limited, early assessment of LV ejection fraction could help patients enter the diagnostic pathway sooner, prioritise those who need urgent specialist assessment, and make better use of overstretched specialist services.
The clinical and academic rationale for the project has been set out through work led by Dr Maria Paton, Chair of Research and Audit for the BSE, which outlines the background, research questions and principles of governance underpinning the programme. A central focus of the work is the development of clear training, competency and accreditation frameworks to ensure patient safety, consistency and quality if this approach were ever to be adopted more widely. This reflects the BSE’s charitable objective to protect the public, and aligns with wider NHS priorities around earlier diagnosis, reducing inequalities and shifting appropriate care closer to patients.
The BSE is grateful to our first strategic partner for this work, GE Healthcare, for a grant to initiate the research now, when it is most needed, while maintaining professional oversight and clinical independence.
Dr Paton said, “I am proud to be leading this work because it addresses questions the wider cardiology and echocardiography communities are actively asking, creating an important opportunity for the BSE to lead evidence generation in an area that is rapidly evolving. Our aim is to provide high-quality data to inform that discussion and ensure that any future adoption is grounded in safety, standards and patient benefit.”
Professor Dan Augustine, President of the BSE said, “This project represents an important step for patients with heart failure, aiding earlier diagnosis and treatment within a governance structure that will ensure suitable competency for these scans and ultimately to guide scalability in a safe manner. Thank you to Dr Maria Paton for her leadership in taking this project forwards. Many thanks also to the wider steering committee and support from the British Society for Heart Failure and Primary Care Cardiovascular Society.”
Dr Paton and Professor Augustine have recorded a video interview with Dr Nabila Laskar, Project Clinical Lead for London, to answer questions that may be helpful to BSE members and the wider echocardiography community.