Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition in which a blood clot is usually found in the leg, is a major cause of preventable hospital death in Europe and the United States. Patients have to wait for hours or days to get the results of their tests performed by ultrasound-trained clinicians. Now, a new artificial intelligence (AI)--guided ultrasound system aims to improve the efficiency of detecting DVT.

Clarius Mobile Health (Vancouver, BC, Canada) and ThinkSono (London, UK) have introduced the new AI-guided ultrasound system in Europe that pairs the ThinkSono Guidance, an AI app, with the ultrasound scanner. ThinkSono Guidance allows non-ultrasound trained healthcare professionals to use the Clarius handheld ultrasound scanner to collect DVT exam data which can then be reviewed by a qualified clinician, speeding up the diagnosis from hours to as little as 15 minutes.

The ThinkSono Guidance System has obtained the Class IIb CE mark based on successful multi-site clinical trials held in Europe last year. ThinkSono will market and sell the complete DVT solution including a Clarius ultrasound scanner directly starting in the UK, Germany, and Greece. After achieving CE Mark for sales in Europe and the UK, ThinkSono is now collaborating with Clarius on clinical studies in the United States to prepare for FDA submission.

"Clarius has been an invaluable partner in helping us bring ThinkSono Guidance to market quickly to help non-ultrasound trained staff such as nurses improve the DVT pathway by scanning for DVTs at the bedside," said Fouad-Al Noor, CEO and Co-founder of ThinkSono. "Our App integrates seamlessly with Clarius scanners through the research SDK, which sends streams of real-time data to the ThinkSono App that in turn providing instant guidance to users as they perform an ultrasound exam. Our partnership with Clarius has been vital in running our clinical studies."

"Working closely with ThinkSono since the inception of their company, when they utilized our first-generation high-performance scanners, has been a delight," added Kris Dickie, Chief Technology Officer at Clarius. "Seeing unique AI tools like theirs being developed for commercial use on our platform truly validates the technology beyond the already broad clinical segments that Clarius currently serves." 

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