PMcardio, an AI-driven, CE-certified class (II)b medical device developed by Powerful Medical, is now supporting telemedicine workflows to enhance ECG analysis and diagnosis for patients outside traditional hospital settings. Already adopted by several large players in pharmacy-based telemedicine ECG screening across Europe, PMcardio is expanding the reach of specialized cardiac care. Through pharmacy- and primary care-based screening programs, it helps address the growing demand for accessible healthcare solutions.
Recent regulatory changes in European countries have accelerated the growth of out-of-hospital patient screening, with existing reimbursement now encouraging these initiatives. This shift is driven by the need to alleviate overloaded emergency departments while ensuring patients receive timely cardiac specialist evaluation. Pharmacy- and primary care-based ECG screening, enhanced with AI technology like PMcardio, represents a critical step toward achieving these goals.
With increasing pressures for preventative and screening services across Europe, pharmacies and primary care clinics have emerged as convenient hubs for point-of-care services, including 12-lead ECG recordings. PMcardio integrates seamlessly into telemedicine workflows, enabling cardiologists to review ECGs faster and more efficiently, supported by its state-of-the-art AI algorithms. By providing accurate, real-time diagnostic interpretations, PMcardio supports clinicians in managing growing patient volumes while maintaining a high-quality standard of care.
“Expanding into telemedicine is a natural evolution for Powerful Medical. It is a field with significant potential that we expect will continue to grow in the future. By integrating PMcardio’s AI-powered diagnostics into workflows in outpatient pharmacy services and primary care settings, we can support cardiologists in delivering faster diagnoses, improving patient outcomes, and helping to reduce the strain on an overburdened healthcare system, which we are seeing all across Europe,” said Viktor Jurasek, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Powerful Medical.
The integration of PMcardio into outpatient pharmacy services and primary care screening workflows provides a streamlined process that saves cardiologists valuable time. By enhancing the efficiency of telemedicine services, PMcardio helps manage the limited availability of specialist physicians, addressing the challenge of high diagnostic workloads in cardiac care.
As part of its ongoing innovation, Powerful Medical is also developing AI tools for early detection of reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on 12-lead ECGs. While LVEF is a key measure of how well the heart pumps blood with each beat, reduced LVEF can signal early stages of heart failure, allowing for preventive care to slow its progression. Recently validated and presented at the ESC Congress 2024 in London, this AI model will soon be incorporated into PMcardio, enhancing its capabilities to provide comprehensive cardiac assessments for patients in out-of-hospital settings.
By supporting telemedicine-based screening programs, PMcardio is helping to bridge the gap in access to specialized diagnostics and addressing the critical needs of healthcare systems across Europe. This expansion marks a significant milestone in leveraging AI technology to make cardiac care more efficient, accessible, and effective for patients and providers alike.
