An artificial intelligence tool that drafts preliminary interpretations of heart ultrasound exams matched the accuracy of preliminary reports prepared by sonographers and cardiologists and cut the time cardiologists spent finalizing each scan almost in half, according to late-breaking research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2026 in Chicago.
The findings matter because echocardiogram is the most widely used form of heart imaging, and cardiology faces a projected shortage of about 7,000 cardiologists by 2036, according to a July 2026 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Freeing minutes per scan could help stretch a limited workforce, speed results for patients and allow more time for direct patient care.
In the first randomized trial testing an AI tool to craft a full echocardiogram report including interpretations and measurements, researchers had an AI tool, a sonographer and a cardiologist each prepare preliminary reports for the same 1,200 echocardiograms performed in March 2025 across 21 Kaiser Permanente Northern California medical centers. Cardiologists then finalized the reports without knowing who drafted them.
Cardiologists made substantial changes to 50.6% of AI-generated drafts, compared with 49.7% of human-prepared drafts, meeting the study's criteria for non-inferiority. Reviewing cardiologists spent an average of 4.6 minutes per scan with AI drafts versus 8.5 minutes without, a time savings of about 46%, and AI-assisted reports were more consistent with historical reports in the medical record.
"What surprised us was the extent to which using AI-generated reports reduced the time cardiologists needed to interpret echocardiograms," said co-senior author Keane K. Lee, M.D., M.S., a cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Homestead Medical Center. He added that AI cannot replace the human team and that cardiologists remain responsible for final interpretations and personalized care plans.
The study did not test whether AI assistance improves long-term patient health, and findings are preliminary because abstracts presented at scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed. The full abstract is available in the 2026 Online Program Planner. The Association's scientific statement on Use of Artificial Intelligence in Improving Outcomes in Heart Disease A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association provides context on AI's role in cardiovascular care, and additional multimedia is available via the release link. More news from Scientific Sessions 2026 is available through the Association.
