Study: AI-interpreted Echocardiograms Comparable to Human Reports, Cardiologists’ Time Cut by About 50%

Nov. 9, 2026 — According to a presentation at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026, 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 almost by half.

An echocardiogram or heart ultrasound is the most widely used type of heart imaging, giving healthcare 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 for review and finalization 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. Additionally, the time spent completing each interpretation and consistency with historical interpretations in the medical record were evaluated.  

Key Findings of Echocardiograms Study

• Cardiologists made substantial changes to 50.6% of the AI-generated preliminary interpretations, compared with 49.7% of the preliminary interpretations prepared by sonographers and cardiologists. The results showed that the AI-assisted approach was comparable in accuracy to the human-assisted approaches. The results met the study’s criteria for the AI-assisted approach to be considered non-inferior, or comparable in accuracy, to the human-assisted approaches.

• Cardiologists spent an average of 4.6 minutes per echocardiogram reviewing and finalizing AI-generated preliminary interpretations, compared with 8.5 minutes to generate interpretation reports without AI assistance, a time savings of about 46%. These results demonstrate the potential for AI to improve the efficiency of everyday cardiology practice.

• The AI-assisted reports were more consistent with historical reports in the medical record than reports in the comparison group.

• The reviewing cardiologists could not identify whether the preliminary interpretation was prepared by the AI tool, a sonographer or another cardiologist.

“We designed this study to capture even small differences between the preliminary reports and the cardiologists’ final interpretations, allowing us to take a careful look at how well AI performed in a rigorous scientific manner,” said co-senior author Keane K. Lee, M.D., M.S., a cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Homestead Medical Center in Santa Clara, California. “Based on our prior work, we expected AI to demonstrate excellent accuracy, which was confirmed in this randomized trial. However, what surprised us was the extent to which using AI-generated reports reduced the time cardiologists needed to interpret echocardiograms.”

“Because of the large number of echocardiograms cardiologists read, even a few minutes saved per interpretation can add up to a significant amount of time over the course of a day,” Lee said. “For patients, this could potentially mean faster turnaround of results and more access to care, and for cardiologists, more time to spend with patients.”

“AI cannot, however, replace the human team,” Lee added. “The cardiologist remains ultimately responsible for interpreting the echocardiogram and certifying the accuracy of the final report, even when AI assists with the process. Moreover, the physician applies clinical judgment and knowledge of the patient to the final interpretation to develop a personalized care plan for each individual.”

According to a July 2026 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, experts anticipate a shortage of cardiologists in the U.S. over the next two decades, with research projections from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration estimating a national shortfall of about 7,000cardiologists by 2036. That study notes the need to implement strategies to strengthen the cardiology workforce.