The Medtronic Heartware and Abbott Heartmate 3 LVADs and others currently cleared by the FDA might be easier to use in Medicare advanced heart failure patients under new guidelines proposed by CMS. Photo by Dave Fornell

In the era of COVID-19, remote technical assistance has become big deal. GE Healthcare showed its Digital Expert technology at the ASE 2020 virtual meeting, which allows remote one-on-one echo training or ultrasound machine technical assistance. It became an important service for GE since the start of the pandemic. 

In February 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared artificial intelligence software to assist in the acquisition of cardiac ultrasound images. The Caption Guidance software from Caption Health is an accessory to compatible diagnostic ultrasound systems and uses artificial intelligence to help the user capture images of a patient’s heart that are of acceptable diagnostic quality. It is aimed at point of care ultrasound (POCUS) exams, where users may not be regular sonographers.