Heart2Miss: AI-supported Cardiac Ultrasound Triage for Early HF Detection
Presented as a Late-breaking science at Heart Failure 2025 on May 18 in Belgrade, Serbia, the Heart2Miss screening programme conducted in Malaysia drew significant attention for its innovative approach to early heart failure detection. Images were acquired by bioscience graduates trained through a focused four-week program in handheld ultrasound and AI-assisted analysis (Us2.ai).
Using a decentralized, community-based ultrasound triage model, the programme successfully screened 1,000 high-risk diabetic patients — demonstrating that heart failure can be identified earlier, even within primary care settings. By equipping bioscience graduates to serve as mobile sonographers, the initiative reduced pressure on tertiary centers, streamlined patient referrals, and opened new career pathways in healthcare diagnostics.
The success of Heart2Miss highlights the powerful potential of combining AI with community-based care — representing a significant leap forward in early diagnosis and equitable access to cardiovascular care in Malaysia, and offering a scalable model for other resource-constrained clinical settings.
*Heart2Miss was an initiative established with public-private partnerships in local community diabetes care. This study was made possible with the support of study grants from AstraZeneca and technical support and automated echocardiography software provided by Us2.ai.
Words from Dr. Diana Foo on the Heart2Miss initiative
Heart2Miss shows what’s possible when innovation meets equity—using AI-echo (Us2.AI), telehealth, and task-shifting to facilitate early heart failure detection in communities. By training underutilized bioscience graduates as mobile echo screeners and introducing intermediary care tier, we enhance primary care support and reduce burden on tertiary cardiac services.
Dr Diana Hui-Ping Foo
Clinician-Researcher & Head of Human Physiology Lab | Principal Investigator of Heart2Miss Initiative
Sarawak General Hospital Clinical Research Centre, Kuching, Malaysia
