Importance of Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Early Detection of Valvular and Cardiac Diseases (IMPROVE)

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Summary

Heart valve disease and weakened heart muscle (left ventricular systolic dysfunction) are common in older adults and often go undetected until serious complications such as heart failure develop. Detection currently depends on a clinician hearing a murmur and then ordering an echocardiogram, which is easily missed or delayed. This study tests whether a brief, artificial intelligence (AI)-guided handheld heart ultrasound - point-of-care ultrasound, or POCUS - performed by trained clinic staff during a routine visit identifies these conditions earlier than usual care. Primary care and geriatrics providers, rather than individual patients, are assigned by chance to one of two groups. Patients seen by providers in the AI-ultrasound group are offered a POCUS scan and a one-time blood test at their regular visit, and are referred for a confirmatory echocardiogram if the scan is abnormal. Patients seen by providers in the usual care group receive standard clinic care. Researchers will compare how often previously undiagnosed structural heart disease is newly identified in each group.

Description

Structural heart disease (SHD) - principally degenerative valvular heart disease (VHD) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) - affects an estimated 21.7% of adults aged 65 and older and carries substantial morbidity and mortality, yet detection relies on passive case finding through auscultation and subsequent echocardiography referral. AI-guided point-of-care ultrasound (AI-POCUS) offers a means of systematic screening at the point of routine ambulatory care by operators without formal sonography training. IMPROVE is a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation, stratified, cluste…

Eligibility

Age range: 65–85 years
Sex: All
Healthy volunteers: No

Detailed criteria

Inclusion Criteria: Provider (cluster) participants: * Physician or advanced practice provider (physician assistant or nurse practitioner) practicing in primary care or geriatrics at a participating institution who independently assesses patients * Patient panel comprising \>50% adults aged 65 years or older * Sees patients in ambulatory clinic at least 1 day per week on average * Agrees to participate, to undergo randomization, and to permit inclusion of all eligible patients from the panel * Provides written informed consent Patient participants: * Adults aged 65 to 85 years, inclusive *…

Interventions

Device
Kosmos Torso-One AI-guided Point-of-Care Ultrasound (EchoNous, Inc.)
A single AI-guided handheld POCUS examination performed by trained clinic staff (medical or certified nursing assistants) during a routine primary care or geriatrics visit. Acquisition is standardized, including parasternal long- and short-axis and apical 3- and 4-chamber views, with 2D imaging, color Doppler, M-mode of the mitral valve, and continuous-wave Doppler of the aortic and mitral valves. Images are transmitted to a central echocardiographic core laboratory, which screens for adequacy; adequate studies are analyzed by pre-specified AI algorithms based on 2017 ASE guidelines, blinded to arm assignment. A positive screen is defined as moderate or greater valvular heart disease or left ventricular ejection fraction of 50% or less. Positive results are communicated to the participant's primary care provider with a recommendation to consider confirmatory TTE; ordering remains at provider discretion, and the study team facilitates completion within 90 days of index visit.

Locations (2)

Parkland Health
Dallas, Texas
dharam.kumbhani@utsouthwestern.edu 214-645-7508
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas
dharam.kumbhani@utsouthwestern.edu 214-645-7508

Summary

Description

Eligibility

Age range

65–85 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Detailed criteria

Interventions

Device

Kosmos Torso-One AI-guided Point-of-Care Ultrasound (EchoNous, Inc.)

A single AI-guided handheld POCUS examination performed by trained clinic staff (medical or certified nursing assistants) during a routine primary care or geriatrics visit. Acquisition is standardized, including parasternal long- and short-axis and apical 3- and 4-chamber views, with 2D imaging, color Doppler, M-mode of the mitral valve, and continuous-wave Doppler of the aortic and mitral valves. Images are transmitted to a central echocardiographic core laboratory, which screens for adequacy; adequate studies are analyzed by pre-specified AI algorithms based on 2017 ASE guidelines, blinded to arm assignment. A positive screen is defined as moderate or greater valvular heart disease or left ventricular ejection fraction of 50% or less. Positive results are communicated to the participant's primary care provider with a recommendation to consider confirmatory TTE; ordering remains at provider discretion, and the study team facilitates completion within 90 days of index visit.