Every time you breathe, your lung glides along the inside of your chest wall. On lung ultrasound, that motion appears as a shimmer along the pleural line, known as lung sliding. When lung sliding is present, pneumothorax can be ruled out at that spot [1].

We’re very excited to announce that our lung sliding AI (BlineSlide) has received FDA clearance [2]. Here is the science behind it.

Why lung sliding matters

A pneumothorax, air trapped between the lung and the chest wall, can be life-threatening. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) lets clinicians check for lung sliding in real time at the bedside, without radiation. Absent lung sliding does not confirm a pneumothorax on its own, but it tells the clinician to look further, which makes it an ideal target for AI.

The science behind the clearance

Lung sliding is a pattern of motion, and teaching AI to recognize it, especially when it’s absent, was the challenge our team set out to solve. Using sophisticated, patented engineering methods [3], we trained neural networks capable of distinguishing these subtle patterns of motion, including their absence, on ultrasound. We then evaluated the AI in real time at the bedside in a prospective study published in CHEST [4] and have since strengthened it with data from additional hospitals [5].

The result is AI that works alongside the clinician during the scan, flagging when lung sliding is not detected so they can confirm the finding and decide on next steps.

Thank you to the engineers, scientists and clinicians at Deep Breathe who made this possible. For the full announcement, including what comes next, read our press release.

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