NJ Clinicians Boost Access to Cardiac Care With Tele-Ultrasound System

Doctors at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) have successfully tested a robotic tele-cardiac ultrasound system that leverages videoconferencing technology to perform remote diagnostic ultrasounds for patients.

The cardiovascular team at RWJUH and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) received the MELODY robotic tele-ultrasound system from Naveil, France. It consists of a robotic arm, an ultrasound machine, and a videoconferencing feature that allows patients to receive an ultrasound and communicate with a healthcare professional without being in the same location.

Currently in use in Europe and Canada, the system has also been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical use in the United States.

The technology has the potential to increase patient access to real-time diagnostic ultrasound imaging while reducing travel times and transportation costs. In addition, the ultrasound system could help facilitate earlier disease detection, the cardiovascular team said.

Further, the remote system could offer benefits to healthcare professionals. For example, it could help address the shortage of ultrasound technologists and sonographers across the country.

“Imagine that a patient comes to an emergency department in the middle of the night and there are no sonographers present to perform the imaging exam that he or she needs,” Partho Sengupta, MD, chief of the Division of Cardiology at RWJMS and chief of cardiology at RWJUH, stated in the press release. “In the very near future, we can connect with a sonographer at another hospital or from their home to perform a cardiac ultrasound exam that could be lifesaving.”

The system could also help reduce healthcare worker injuries that stem from overuse and repetitive movements from manual ultrasound imaging delivery.

Not only that, but like other telehealth and remote patient monitoring technologies, the tele-ultrasound system could aid in reducing exposure to diseases like COVID-19 and to radiation.

The clinicians tested the tele-ultrasound system by conducting several hours of trans-Atlantic diagnostic ultrasound imaging in real time with experts in France. The ultrasounds were conducted at RWJUH over a routine 4G cellular network.

The team plans to work with sonographers and implement the technology in clinical care, making it available to the public later this year. Additionally, they have hopes that, down the line, the technology will be available in more settings, such as rural community hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, pharmacies, and senior living facilities.

Sengupta plans to improve cardiac care for patients by combining the tele-ultrasound system with artificial intelligence (AI) cardiovascular diagnostic capabilities.

“Many cardiovascular diseases remain undetected for a long time and can be silent killers,” Sengupta said. “Combining robotic tele-ultrasound technology with new and existing AI capabilities will provide us with a tremendous opportunity for early detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease in our communities and help us save lives.”

Since the start of the pandemic, a handful of health systems have been employing telehealth technologies to treat or manage cardiovascular health concerns. For example, the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David’s Medical Center introduced a telehealth program in August 2020 that used mHealth wearables to improve care management for patients with atrial fibrillation.

In March 2021, the University of Minnesota launched a mobile health vehicle with telehealth capabilities to treat heart attack patients. Meanwhile, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently partnered with a health technology company to develop an at-home heart failure program that aims to reduce hospital readmissions.