Artificial Intelligence assisted Echocardiography to support diagnosis of heart failure: Early Value Assessment

Status:

In progress

Technology type:

Diagnostic

Decision:

Selected

Reason for decision:

Anticipate the topic will be of importance to patients, carers, professionals, commissioners and the health of the public to ensure clinical benefit is realised, inequalities in use addressed, and help them make the best use of NHS resources

Process:

EVA

Description:

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump blood around the body as well as it should, because it does not contract strongly enough, it does not fill correctly, or a problem with the valves of the heart. It may develop as people get older, or following other conditions such as a heart attack. Heart failure can severely limit a person’s day-to-day quality of life and activities and can lead to disability and early death. Common symptoms include breathlessness, coughing and wheezing, tiredness, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and having swollen feet and ankles. Heart failure is common, with about a million people being affected in the UK, and is becoming more prevalent as the population ages. Heart failure is diagnosed with an echocardiograph, an ultrasound scan of the heart performed by placing a probe on the chest, which allows an expert (usually a cardiac physiologist) to image the heart using sound waves. The cardiac physiologist manually takes measurements of the heart structure and its activity. Echocardiography is essential for diagnosing heart failure and other cardiac disorders, but it is a complex investigation that can be time-consuming and requires substantial technical skill, clinical judgement and experience to do effectively. Echocardiography services in the UK are under considerable pressure due to increasing demand, post-COVID backlogs and workforce shortages. Around 152,000 people were waiting for an echocardiograph in England in March 2025, with almost a quarter waiting for more than 6 weeks. Delayed diagnosis of heart failure can lead to delayed treatment, with correspondingly worse outcomes for people and increased pressure on the healthcare system. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can be used to assist the cardiac physiologist by taking automatic measurements of the heart, interpret images, and suggest diagnoses, including heart failure. The use of AI technologies could allow echocardiography to be used in wider settings, including in the community. The technologies could potentially improve diagnostic performance leading to better detection of heart failure, support earlier diagnosis leading to more timely treatment and better clinical outcomes, and reduce pressure on echocardiography services. In this early value assessment, NICE will identify and evaluate AI assisted echocardiography technologies to support diagnosis of heart failure. It will review the evidence that is available and assess the potential clinical and cost-effectiveness of the technologies, as well as identify evidence gaps to help direct evidence generation.

Provisional Schedule

Specialist committee member recruitment:

11 July 2025 - 08 August 2025

Final scope:

22 September 2025

Committee meeting: 1:

06 January 2026

Draft guidance:

20 January 2026 - 03 February 2026

Committee meeting: 2:

10 March 2026

Resolution:

16 April 2026

Expected publication:

19 May 2026

Project Team

Project lead

Toni Gasse

Email enquiries

If you have any queries please email [email protected]

Timeline

Key events during the development of the guidance:

For further information on our processes and methods, please see our early value assessment interim statement.