Editor's note:

In response to the Belt and Road Initiative, and with the aim of sharing expertise and addressing shared health challenges, our hospital has launched the Overseas Promotion Program for New Medical Technologies. If you are interested in any of the medical technologies covered under this program, please feel free to contact the International Cooperation Office at faowch@163.com.

Continuous Echocardiography Monitoring (CEM)

Technical Overview

CEM converts transthoracic echocardiography from a point-in-time examination into a continuous, field-ready monitoring modality using ultrasound alone. A skin-adhered probe is positioned to maintain stable acoustic windows (e.g., parasternal long-axis/short-axis; subcostal when feasible), allowing repeated or continuous acquisition without relocating the patient. The system derives a streamlined, clinically interpretable set of ultrasound parameters in real time: ejection fraction (EF) when endocardial borders are adequately visualized; LVOT velocity–time integral (LVOT-VTI) as a surrogate for stroke volume/cardiac output when a stable LVOT Doppler line is obtained; inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and collapsibility from the subcostal view for preload/right-atrial pressure inference, and so on. Data are generated solely from the machine, producing trend curves that clinicians can interpret at the bedside or remotely.

Clinical Effectiveness and Innovations

Traditional echocardiography, though invaluable, is limited by location, power, and operator skill. It provides only momentary snapshots of a dynamic organ that fails and recovers minute by minute, where CEM addresses a persistent gap in resource-limited or hazardous settings. In high-altitude or heavy-labor environments, sustained reductions in LVOT-VTI accompanied by a dilated, poorly collapsible IVC can signal rising preload and impending decompensation; new or enlarging pericardial effusion can be identified early, with visual clues to tamponade physiology. Key innovations are the shift from snapshot imaging to continuous trend monitoring; a simplified parameter set tailored to field decisions.

Promotion Value and Prioritization

In resource-limited Belt and Road regions, this means that a miner in Mongolia, an offshore worker in Indonesia, or a high-altitude laborer in Pakistan can now be continuously monitored for early signs of ischemia, high-altitude heart strain, or heart-failure decompensation, long before symptoms escalate or evacuation becomes urgent. The same applies to patients recovering from rheumatic valvular disease, tuberculosis-related pericardial disease, or hypertensive right-heart failure, where follow-up imaging is scarce. Across the Belt and Road region, spanning Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a silent epidemic. These countries are home to billions of people living in rapidly urbanizing, industrializing environments but with critical gaps in healthcare infrastructure. Hospitals are often distant, intensive-care monitoring is limited, and transport logistics can delay life-saving interventions. In the meantime, millions of workers labor at high altitude, in deserts, or in offshore and mining zones—settings that are hypoxic, noisy, and thermally extreme, with long shifts and minimal medical coverage.

Across the Belt and Road region, spanning Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a silent epidemic. These countries are home to billions of people living in rapidly urbanizing, industrializing environments but with critical gaps in healthcare infrastructure. Hospitals are often distant, intensive-care monitoring is limited, and transport logistics can delay life-saving interventions. In the meantime, millions of workers labor at high altitude, in deserts, or in offshore and mining zones—settings that are hypoxic, noisy, and thermally extreme, with long shifts and minimal medical coverage.

Here lies a fundamental paradox: the populations most at risk for heart failure, ischemic disease, and pulmonary hypertension are the least likely to have access to continuous cardiac monitoring. Traditional echocardiography, though invaluable, is limited by location, power, and operator skill. It provides only momentary snapshots of a dynamic organ that fails and recovers minute by minute.

The wearable echocardiography platform developed by Professors Liu Jin and Song Haibo at West China Hospital redefines what cardiac imaging can mean for these environments. This adhesive, wearable device transforms the once-stationary transthoracic echocardiogram into a 24-hour, motion-tolerant, continuous cardiac monitor. It trends key parameters, including ejection fraction (EF), LVOT-VTI, FS, FAC, right-to-left chamber ratios, IVC collapsibility, and pericardial effusion detection in the real time to reveal early physiological deterioration.

In resource-limited Belt and Road regions, this means that a miner in Mongolia, an offshore worker in Indonesia, or a high-altitude laborer in Pakistan can now be continuously monitored for early signs of ischemia, high-altitude heart strain, or heart-failure decompensation, long before symptoms escalate or evacuation becomes urgent. The same applies to patients recovering from rheumatic valvular disease, tuberculosis-related pericardial disease, or hypertensive right-heart failure, where follow-up imaging is scarce.

The system is engineered for harsh environments, stable probe fixation, robust acoustic coupling, and automated analytics, allowing reliable data capture under motion and temperature extremes. This innovation closes one of the last great diagnostic gaps in global health: the inability to continuously see the heart in motion, outside the hospital. By merging imaging, artificial intelligence, and wearable design, this project offers Belt and Road nations a model for scalable, preventive, and equitable cardiac care, turning every worksite into a potential node of precision monitoring.