New AI tool could detect heart disease earlier

Published: 29 September 2026

Could AI cut waiting lists for heart scans? New research aims to improve diagnosis and detect heart disease earlier.

An Auckland researcher is investigating whether artificial intelligence (AI) could help reduce long waiting lists for heart scans and detect signs of heart disease earlier, while giving doctors a more detailed picture of a patient's heart health.

Heart ultrasound scans, known as echocardiograms or 'echos', are used to diagnose and monitor a wide range of heart conditions, from muscle damage and valve disease to heart failure.

It's one of the most common heart tests, but demand has outstripped the number of trained staff available to perform and interpret the scans.

Thousands of people are currently on waiting lists for echocardiograms nationwide, with some patients waiting months for a scan.

University of Auckland researcher Dr Debbie Zhao has been awarded a Heart Foundation Research Fellowship to investigate how AI and advanced computer modelling could help speed up the process and make heart assessments more accurate and consistent.

"Routine heart scans contain far more information than we're currently able to extract," Debbie says.

Why heart scans can take so long

Delays for heart scans can delay diagnosis and treatment, especially for rural patients who already face longer travel times and limited access to specialist care.

Analysing an echocardiogram can be complex. Sonographers and cardiologists must manually assess and measure structures within the heart, a process that takes time and relies heavily on specialist expertise.

"Heart ultrasounds can be surprisingly difficult to interpret," says Debbie.

"One of the main tasks of the AI model is to assess heart function very quickly and accurately, better than the human eye can see, helping make the process more accurate and consistent."

Bringing MRI-level insights to routine scans

The new software Debbie is developing will use AI trained on thousands of existing echocardiograms to automatically recognise and measure the heart's structures, reducing much of the manual work.

It's designed to work with echocardiograms, which are significantly more widely available and cheaper than MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans.

"MRI is considered the gold standard because it gives us a more precise picture of the heart than an echocardiogram. However, it is expensive and access is very limited," Debbie says.

"We're developing new AI models that can automatically analyse images more accurately. That way, when you get an echo, we can extract MRI-like insights and improve care."

The research will also explore whether advanced modelling techniques can uncover subtle signs of heart dysfunction that are not visible through standard clinical measurements.

"By the time we see changes in heart function through traditional measures, the heart may already have been damaged. We hope AI can detect those changes much earlier."

Researchers will test the technology in people with complex heart conditions, including atrial fibrillation, and people undergoing cancer treatment, where monitoring heart function is critical.

Helping patients get the right care sooner

If successful, the technology could help hospitals make better use of every echocardiogram, reducing the time spent on manual analysis and uncovering more information about a person's heart health.

Debbie hopes this will enable earlier detection of heart disease, help clinicians identify people at high risk more quickly and improve access to timely heart care for people across New Zealand.

"Our AI tools and modelling won't replace people. It will help sonographers and cardiologists do their jobs better by getting more information from the scans we're already doing and helping deliver better care.

"If we can make echocardiography services more efficient, we can help more patients access high-quality cardiac assessment sooner," she says.

Heart Foundation Medical Director Dr Gerry Devlin says the research could help address one of the biggest challenges facing cardiac services in New Zealand.

"Echocardiograms are a vital part of heart care, but growing demand is placing increasing pressure on scanning services across the country," he says.

"Research like Debbie's has the potential to help clinicians get more information from routine heart scans, improve patient care and ensure more New Zealanders can access timely, high-quality cardiac assessment when they need it."