Medtronic, Sonus Microsystems Link Up for AI-Powered Pregnancy Monitoring

Medtronic has begun a collaboration with Sonus Microsystems to pair the Sonus Patch artificial (AI)-powered wearable ultrasound platform with Medtronic’s acute care & monitoring technology.

The duo will evaluate a non-invasive monitoring system in field studies in Kenya. The technologies are designed to support screening and triage of pregnant women at risk for early-onset preeclampsia using cardiac and hemodynamic data.

Funded by the Gates Foundation’s Grand Challenges program, the Sonus-Medtronic collaboration will study preeclampsia screening and triage in partnership with Kenyatta University and antenatal facilities in Nairobi, Kenya.

Cardiac ultrasound provides information on cardiovascular function but typically requires costly equipment and trained operators. The Sonus Patch is designed to automate anatomy localization and clinical-grade image acquisition, allowing non-specialists to collect data without a cardiology lab or skilled technicians.

The study could inform further research into wearable ultrasound and autonomous cardiac monitoring across hospital and community settings.

Comments from Medtronic and Sonus Microsystems execs

Hani Eskandari, CEO of Sonus: “Our goal is to make advanced cardiac monitoring accessible regardless of where patients live. By making ultrasound autonomous, we can expand who can deliver an ultrasound and where it can be delivered, including in settings where a specialized sonographer is not available. We are proud to be working with Medtronic and the Gates Foundation to validate our platform in high-impact applications and address critical gaps in cardiac care delivery.

Rick Sethi, senior director of research & technology and open innovation at Medtronic Acute Care & Monitoring: “Non-invasive access to continuous hemodynamic information is a long-standing gap in perioperative care. Sonus’s novel transducer platform shows real promise in addressing that gap. Through the Open Innovation function of the Acute Care & Monitoring operating unit at Medtronic, we are partnering with Sonus with a goal of ultimately bringing this technology closer to clinicians across our monitoring portfolio, and beyond.”

Joshua de Souza, senior principal scientist at Medtronic Acute Care & Monitoring: “By integrating Sonus’s ultrasound patch with the physiological monitoring platform from Medtronic, we aim to better understand whether this technology may help provide accessible, relevant and actionable clinical data, critical for high-impact applications such as early-onset preeclampsia.”

Carlos Gerardo, director of R&D at Sonus: “Sonus’s Ultrasound Platform is what makes this category of patient monitoring and screening possible. It enables us to build ultrasound into flexible, wearable form factors, operate it autonomously with AI, and manufacture affordably at the large volumes required for mass adoption.”