Scan-EF

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Supporting Community AI-Enabled Non-Specialist Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Earlier Diagnosis and Treatment for Heart Failure

• IRAS ID

  364939

• Contact name

  Maria F Paton

• Contact email

  m.paton@leeds.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Leeds

• ISRCTN Number

  ISRCTN45369814

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 6 months, 27 days

• Research summary

  People with suspicion of heart failure symptoms and a raised NT-proBNP, referred from primary care for specialist heart scan and assessment. Delays in heart scans mean that many people are diagnosed late, sometimes only when they become very unwell. This can lead to avoidable hospital stays and poorer health. The NHS needs new ways to check people earlier without impacting safety or quality.
  New, commercially available, handheld heart ultrasound devices which use artificial intelligence (AI), a computer technology to helps analyse the scan pictures, may allow earlier heart assessment closer to home, but before AI-supported handheld heart scan ultrasound device is used more widely, we need clear evidence that it works in real NHS settings and benefits patients.
  We aim to assess if an AI-supported handheld ultrasound device, used in local community diagnostic centre (CDC) by trained but non-specialist practitioner:
  • can safely speed up diagnosis of heart failure and time to treatment
  • can give results that match standard hospital-based specialist scans
  • is acceptable to patients and non-specialist practitioner to have heart checks outside of hospitals

  Patients will be followed up digitally to assess outcome of secondary care assessment. If this approach works, the research could support earlier diagnosis, quicker treatment, and better outcomes for people with heart failure. It could also help the NHS use resources more efficiently and reduce unequal access to care. If it does not work, the findings will still be valuable by showing what should not be adopted and why, helping the NHS make safer decisions.
  

• REC name

  London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  26/PR/0495

• Date of REC Opinion

  9 Jun 2026

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion