New Auto B-line Counter uses deep learning technology with the aim of empowering providers to assess abnormal lung conditions easier, faster, and with more confidence
Butterfly’s cloud-based data collection protocol can access over 3.5 million de-identified ultrasound images to develop and train its AI algorithms
BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Butterfly Network, Inc., a digital health company transforming care through the power of handheld, whole-body ultrasound, announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance for a groundbreaking AI-enabled Auto B-line Counter that may simplify how healthcare professionals evaluate adults with suspected diminished lung function and can potentially accelerate their ability to make informed treatment decisions at the point of care.
Butterfly’s Auto B-line Counter leverages deep learning technology to produce a B-line count from just a six second ultrasound clip – a drastic change from traditionally manual, subjective counting processes to more consistent interpretation of B-lines. B-lines on an ultrasound scan appear as bright, vertical lines that indicate wetness in the lungs and are associated with pulmonary air-space disease, such as congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia and COVID-19.
"Our goal at Butterfly is to give healthcare practitioners, and eventually consumers, a real time full color, annotated, window into the human body. Applying AI to make ultrasound easier to use is core to Butterfly, and will enable powerful ultrasound to be in the palm of more clinician's hands, across specialities, to monitor, assess, and prescribe treatments in a more informed way," said Dr. Jonathan Rothberg, Butterfly Network’s Founder and Interim Chief Executive Officer. "Our AI-enabled Auto B-line Counter empowers providers to assess lung conditions faster and with more confidence – and in turn, will aid in earlier detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, a leading cause of death globally, taking nearly 18 million lives each year.1"
Butterfly’s Auto B-line Counter algorithm utilizes the state-of-the-art instant percent counting method that assigns numbers to confluent B-lines by the percentage of rib space occupied in addition to counting discrete B-lines – a technique that has been found to be more reliable than incumbent individual line counting methods.2 With it, trained providers can simply place the probe and receive a reliable number count right on their screen.
To develop and train its AI algorithms, Butterfly uniquely utilizes its secure Butterfly Cloud to access over 3.5 million de-identified ultrasound cines. These data inputs come from hundreds of sites across all 50 states in the U.S., offering potential for a broad and diverse range of age, gender, body mass index, ethnicity, and race. Continuing its credo to democratize healthcare by making medical imaging accessible to everyone around the world, Butterfly leverages this cloud data, in part, with the aim of creating more representative technology that the company believes will help bridge the divide in health technology experienced across diverse populations.
The company anticipates that the AI-enabled Auto B-line Counter will launch early summer in the United States.
For more information on Butterfly Network and its innovative solutions, visit: https://www.butterflynetwork.com/.
About Butterfly Network
Founded by Dr. Jonathan Rothberg in 2011 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange through a business combination with Longview Acquisition Corp., Butterfly created the world's first handheld, single probe whole-body ultrasound system using semiconductor technology, the Butterfly iQ+. Butterfly's mission is to democratize medical imaging and contribute to the aspiration of global health equity, making high-quality ultrasound affordable, easy-to-use, globally accessible, and intelligently connected, including for the 4.7 billion people around the world lacking access to ultrasound. Through its proprietary Ultrasound-on-Chip™ technology, Butterfly is paving the way for earlier detection and remote management of health conditions around the world. The Butterfly iQ+ can be purchased today by trained healthcare practitioners in areas including, but not limited to, parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America; to learn more about available countries, visit: butterflynetwork.com/choose-your-country.
Butterfly iQ+ is a prescription device intended for trained healthcare professionals only.
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Required Disclosures:
℞ only. Caution: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a trained healthcare practitioner licensed by the law of the State in which the practitioner practices to use or order the use of the device. Butterfly iQ/iQ+ is for external use only.
Butterfly iQ/iQ+ is indicated for use by trained healthcare professionals in environments where healthcare is provided to enable diagnostic ultrasound imaging and measurement of anatomical structures and fluids of adult and pediatric patients for specific clinical applications. Depending on your platform, hardware, country and membership type, certain presets, modes and features may not be available. Do not use the Butterfly iQ App on a mobile device that does not meet minimum requirements. Using the Butterfly iQ App on a mobile device that does not meet the minimum requirements may affect performance and image quality, possibly resulting in misdiagnosis. Consult your user manual.
Butterfly iQ/iQ+ produces ultrasound waves. Ultrasonic waves can heat the tissues slightly. Always use the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle when performing an ultrasound study. Use the correct clinical application presets for the associated body part being examined for the appropriate duration of administration. Some applications may require lower acoustic output limits.
1 World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases. https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1
2 Inter-rater reliability of quantifying pleural B-lines using multiple counting methods,” J. Ultrasound Med. 2013; 32:115–120
Source: Butterfly Network, Inc.