Safety and useability of a novel robot-assisted echocardiographic examination

Alternative format of non-invasive diagnostic procedure - cardiac ultrasound a) Robot-assisted echocardiographic examination b) Procedure - Utilisation of existing clinically used cardiac ultrasound systems where system probe is held by robotic arm. c) Delivery - Sonographer utilises a gamepad to control the robotic arm system to acquire images. Any ultrasound system is permitted, and a specific vendor is utilised based on the discretion of the hospital. Sonographers will undergo a minimum of 15 hrs of virtual (software-based only) and hand-on simulator training, prior to human echocardiogram scanning. Standard operation manuals are provided to ensure correct and standardised use of the system. All participants of the study will have previously undergone (prior to consent) a clinically required standard of care manual echocardiographic examination. The robotically assisted echocardiographic examination will be conducted within 72 hours of the manual scan.