ASE 2026 Research Spotlight 1

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Contact: Natalie Costantino
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ASE 2026 Research Highlights How AI and Echocardiography Expand Access to Cardiovascular Care in Underserved Communities

(DURHAM, N.C., June 25, 2026)— New research being presented at the American Society of Echocardiography’s (ASE) 2026 Scientific Sessions, taking place June 26-28 in Aurora, Colorado, demonstrates how artificial intelligence (AI) and cardiovascular ultrasound can help expand access to life-saving heart disease screening in populations that have traditionally faced barriers to care.

From community clinics in Northern Virginia to pediatric screening programs in Uganda, two research studies highlight new approaches to detecting heart disease earlier and connecting patients to treatment before serious complications develop. Both abstracts will be presented as poster sessions on Friday, June 26, during the President’s Circle in the Echo Expo at the Gaylord Rockies Convention Center.

Bringing AI-Enhanced Cardiovascular Screening to High-Risk Communities

The first study, “Advancing Neighborhood Cardiovascular Health through Outreach and Risk Screening: The ANCHOR Trial,” examined whether AI-enhanced point-of-care echocardiography could help identify previously undiagnosed valvular and structural heart disease in underserved communities with a disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease and limited access to advanced cardiac therapies.

Conducted in Northern Virginia, the program brought advanced cardiovascular screening directly into a community primary care setting. Patients underwent AI-assisted echocardiography, electrocardiograms (ECGs), and vascular testing to assess for underlying cardiovascular disease. Among the nearly 50 patients screened, 93% reported a primary language other than English, and clinically significant cardiovascular abnormalities were identified in 31% of participants, prompting referral for further cardiac evaluation.

“Heart disease remains the leading killer in this country, yet the people at highest risk are too often the ones our health system reaches last—uninsured, underinsured, and non-English-speaking families who face real barriers just getting through the door,” said presenting author Dr. Jason Bonomo, Kruvant Director, Cardiovascular Community Health for Inova Schar Heart and Vascular.  “Instead of waiting for patients to come to a hospital with a critical illness, we are bringing advanced cardiac screening directly into the community spaces they already trust to catch heart conditions earlier.”

Dr. Bonomo noted one patient screened was found to have a congenital heart valve condition, prompting screening of his children and siblings. He explained that diagnoses like this have the potential to “change the course of an entire family’s health.”

Building on the success of the initial clinic conducted in 2025, investigators have doubled screening capacity in 2026 and are expanding services into a second high-risk community.

Using AI to Detect Rheumatic Heart Disease in Children

The second study, “Machine Learning Detection of Rheumatic Heart Disease with Focus on Aortic Regurgitation by Echocardiography,” focused on the effectiveness of a deep learning echocardiography model designed to detect rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a preventable condition that remains a major cause of illness and death among children in many low-resource regions around the world.

Researchers trained and evaluated the model using hundreds of pediatric echocardiography video clips from children in Uganda screened for RHD between 2018 and 2020. The AI model identified rheumatic aortic regurgitation with nearly 95% accuracy using both standard and handheld ultrasound devices.

“Many children with RHD have no symptoms until advanced heart damage has already occurred,” said presenting author Dr. Christina Yang, a pediatric cardiology fellow at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. “Our research developed an AI-powered screening tool that can detect the disease earlier and more easily using portable ultrasound technology. This approach can scale access to life-saving screening in underserved RHD-endemic areas and help prevent heart failure, disability, and death from the disease.”

Investigators plan to expand their work by integrating aortic and mitral regurgitation detection into a fully automated AI tool for RHD that can be used in low-resource settings using handheld echocardiography.

ASE 2026 will feature more than 500 abstract presentations showcasing cutting-edge research on the latest advances in cardiovascular ultrasound and cases illustrating breakthroughs in patient care. Learn more about ASE 2026 and view all research abstracts in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.

About American Society of Echocardiography
The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is the Society for Cardiovascular Ultrasound Professionals™. ASE is the largest global organization for cardiovascular ultrasound imaging serving physicians, sonographers, nurses, veterinarians, and scientists and as such is the leader and advocate, setting practice standards and guidelines for the field. The Society is committed to advancing cardiovascular ultrasound to improve lives. For more information, visit the ASE website ASEcho.org or social media pages on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Bluesky.

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