Intelligent Ultrasound gets CE-mark approval for ScanNav PNB

Ultrasound artificial intelligence (AI) technology company Intelligent Ultrasound announced CE-mark approval of its ‘ScanNav Anatomy: Peripheral Nerve Block’ (ScanNav PNB) product on Tuesday.

The AIM-traded firm said ScanNav Anatomy used AI to automatically highlight the live ultrasound image, to enhance the accuracy and standardisation of ultrasound image interpretation, making it easier to identify key anatomical structures.

That was intended to support the performance of healthcare professionals who were suitably qualified, but who performed ultrasound-guided procedures on a less frequent basis.

It said ScanNav PNB supported nine common peripheral nerve blocks - a form of local anaesthesia - and would be sold as a stand-alone device, with in-built AI software, that could be plugged into existing anaesthesiology ultrasound machines.

The device would provide clinicians with continuous feedback from real-time highlighting of their live ultrasound.

Users could also re-familiarise themselves with blocks that were carried out less frequently using the system's integrated 3D animations.

ScanNav PNB was also being made available as a training simulator for medical learning on volunteers, prior to patient contact.

The company said it was intending to sell the stand-alone system to the UK market using its existing in-house sales resources, with an expected launch in the second quarter.

In addition, it said it was continuing to progress the product's US Food and Drug Administration regulatory filing to enable a version of the product to be sold in the United States, as well as seeking to licence an integrated version of the product to the major ultrasound manufacturers.

“Building on the success of ScanNav Assist, our first obstetric AI software that is integrated into GE Healthcare's recently launched ‘SWIFT’ ultrasound machine, ScanNav Anatomy PNB will launch into the anaesthesiology ultrasound market and continues the group's expansion into AI-based real-time clinical ultrasound image analysis,” said chief executive officer Stuart Gall.

“We are particularly pleased that many of the independent clinicians who used ScanNav PNB during product testing think that it would benefit them in their everyday clinical practice.”

At 1144 BST, shares in Intelligent Ultrasound Group were up 12.68% at 20p.