AI Enhances Fetal Heart Ultrasounds, Improving Survival Rates 

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United States: New research indicates that utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in screening fetal hearts allows doctors to diagnose defects, which increases the survival rates of newborns by better than standard practices, as reported by HealthDay. 

New research presentations at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Denver indicated that artificial intelligence systems assist prenatal ultrasound examination by outperforming manual reviews performed by medical practitioners for accurate heart defect detection. 

“AI-based software significantly improved detection of ultrasounds that were suspicious for congenital heart defects not only among OB-GYNs but also among maternal-fetal medicine subspecialists,” said lead researcher Dr. Jennifer Lam-Rachlin, director of fetal echocardiography at Carnegie Imaging for Women at Mount Sinai West in New York City. 

“This has a tremendous impact in terms of neonatal outcomes and has the potential to change clinical practice,” she added in a news release. 

The Importance of Early Heart Defect Detection 

Research shows that 25 percent of babies born with heart defects need medical treatment because of serious defects that require surgery during their first year of life, according to background notes. 

Doctors who perform prenatal ultrasounds frequently identify heart defects as an early warning; nevertheless, these investigations lack extensive training in the analysis of such scans.

Improved Detection with AI Assistance 

“At least half of prenatal ultrasounds in the United States are being looked at by non-specialists, medical professionals — including OB-GYNs — who may not be trained in prenatal ultrasound,” Lam-Rachlin said. “That accounts for why the ability to detect congenital heart defects is still quite low, even in developed countries like the U.S.”  

AI-Assisted Analysis 

A total of 14 OB-GYNs and maternal-fetal medicine specialists performed random analysis on 200 prenatal ultrasounds originating from 11 hospitals across two nations. The examined doctors had career lengths starting at one year and extending beyond thirty years. 

The study participants used AI for ultrasound inspections with varying frequency throughout the evaluation process, according to research findings. 

The AI system revealed strong evidence that its assistance increased clinicians’ efficiency at uncovering prenatal cardiac indications in sonograms. 

According to researchers, the extent of AI assistance did not affect the evaluation scores of doctors across various experience levels or within maternal-fetal specialty training. 

Medical professionals achieved better confidence levels in detecting heart defects through AI support while needing a shorter time to evaluate potential cardiac abnormalities. 

FDA Approval and BrightHeart’s Role 

“Most congenital heart defects occur in pregnancies that are considered low risk, which means the pregnant person is most likely being seen by an OB-GYN versus a maternal-fetal medicine subspecialist who has more experience in detecting congenital heart defects,” researcher Christophe Gardella, chief technical officer for BrightHeart, the Paris-based manufacturer of the AI-based software, said in a news release.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved BrightHeart’s AI software in November, and the company is getting ready to market it in the country, as reported by HealthDay. 

“Fetal heart assessments are among the most technically demanding aspects of prenatal ultrasound,” Cécile Dupont, BrightHeart CEO, said in a news release at the time of the FDA approval. “Our AI-powered solution not only assists clinicians in detecting signs of potential abnormalities earlier but also enhances their confidence in confirming normal findings, which is equally critical for the peace of mind of expectant families.”