Ventripoint to test AI-enhanced echocardiography

Executive Summary

• Ventripoint Diagnostics Ltd. has entered into a collaboration with Providence Health Care Ventures (PHC Ventures) to validate its VMS+ AI-enhanced echocardiography platform at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, B.C.
• The study aims to evaluate whether VMS+ can reduce dependence on cardiac MRI by providing accurate cardiac measurements earlier in the diagnostic pathway, potentially allowing a subset of patients to avoid MRI entirely.
• The collaboration will assess workflow integration, potential reductions in MRI referrals, impact on wait times, and system-level cost-efficiencies, with implementation expected to begin in early 2026.

Key Details

• Parties Involved: Ventripoint Diagnostics Ltd. and Providence Health Care Ventures (PHC Ventures).
• Location: St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, B.C. (one of Western Canada's leading cardiac programs).
• Technology: VMS+ platform, which uses artificial intelligence to generate 3-D heart models from standard 2-D echocardiography images.
• Regulatory Status: VMS+ is U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared and Health Canada-licensed.
• Study Objectives:
  • Compare VMS+ derived measurements from echocardiography with cardiac MRI.
  • Evaluate workflow integration.
  • Assess potential reductions in MRI referrals.
  • Measure impact on wait times and associated system-level cost-efficiencies.
• Prior Evidence:
  • Implemented at the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto) and the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre (University Health Network, Toronto).
  • Evaluated in clinical studies at Mayo Clinic, showing close alignment with cardiac MRI.
  • A poster presented at the British Society of Echocardiography 2025 conference demonstrated that VMS+ generated results comparable to MRI and more accurate than 3D echocardiography for longitudinal assessment of adult congenital heart defect patients.
• Strategic Impact: The technology aims to extend advanced cardiac diagnostics to rural and Indigenous communities where MRI access is constrained, potentially reducing avoidable transfers and supporting monitoring in local settings.
• Timeline: Collaboration expected to commence in November 2025, with implementation beginning in early 2026.

Notable Quotes

• "This technology helps identify which patients truly need an MRI and which can be safely assessed using a standard echocardiogram," said Brian Simmers, president of PHC Ventures.
• "The promise of AI-enhanced echocardiography like VMS+ is that it could bring MRI-level precision to a more accessible modality. That means faster diagnoses, more timely treatment decisions, and improved patient outcomes -- especially in communities where access to advanced imaging is limited," said Dr. Robert Moss, physician lead, echocardiography, St. Paul's Hospital.
• "Our vision is to make high-quality cardiac imaging available wherever an echo machine exists," said Hugh MacNaught, president and chief executive officer of Ventripoint.