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AI-generated interpretations of echocardiograms were comparable in accuracy to preliminary interpretations prepared by ultrasound technicians (sonographers) and cardiologists. The assistance of AI preliminary interpretations also reduced the time cardiologists spent interpreting each scan by almost half. All of this is according to new, independent, preliminary late-breaking science presented Monday at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago.

An echocardiogram or heart ultrasound is the most widely used type of heart imaging, giving health care professionals key information to diagnose heart conditions and select treatment options. The current process is for a sonographer to acquire the images and a cardiologist to review the images and write a report assessing various heart structures and function. In this study, researchers tested the use of an AI tool to analyze ultrasound images and draft preliminary reports to assist cardiologists.

Researchers say this is the first randomized trial testing an AI tool to craft a full echocardiogram report including interpretations and measurements. In the research study, an AI tool, a sonographer and a cardiologist each prepared preliminary reports for the same 1,200 echocardiograms previously acquired during routine clinical care. The preliminary interpretations were then randomly assigned to cardiologists, who reviewed and finalized them without knowing whether the first draft was made by a sonographer, a cardiologist or the AI tool.

Researchers assessed accuracy by looking at how often cardiologists made substantial changes to the preliminary interpretations before finalizing them.

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