
The study, conducted by Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, compared hospital physicians using Butterfly’s iQ+ and iQ3 POCUS devices with physicians who did not use the POCUS tech in treating patients with shortness of breath.
Results showed an average reduction of over four days in hospital length of stay. Lower-acuity patients’ length of stay decreased from 6.7 to 5.6 days. Higher acuity patients saw a reduction from 39 to 16.7 days. Butterfly Network said these improvements led to up to 50% cost savings for lower-acuity cases.
“This study is an important demonstration that point-of-care ultrasound can serve as a practical tool for stratifying patient acuity, reducing hospital resource utilization, and improving patient flow. The preliminary findings support the growing body of evidence advocating for POCUS as an essential component of modern hospital care and underscore the need for broader adoption of POCUS to improve outcomes and address healthcare inefficiencies,” said Dr. Partho Sengupta, Henry Rutgers Professor of Cardiology and Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at RWJMS and RWJUH, and principal investigator of the study.
According to the researchers, daily lung ultrasound scans were a key factor in expediting discharges for lower acuity patients.
“These results reflect the immense value of POCUS in enhancing care delivery and reducing the financial burden of hospitalizations,” Butterfly Network Chief Medical Officer John Martin said in a news release. “The integration of POCUS into hospital workflows is not just about advancing technology but about transforming the patient experience while addressing critical challenges in healthcare systems.”
The company plans to publish the full study results in the first half of 2025.