Every year, millions of patients present to emergency rooms with concerning cardiopulmonary symptoms, but diagnosis can take several hours and requires costly resources.
Founded in November 2021, Austral Dx is developing a medical device that can assess patients’ cardiac and pulmonary health in less than three minutes.
Our technology, the Surface Motion Camera (SMC), uses airborne ultrasound—sound waves that travel through the air without direct contact —to detect chest vibrations. This enables fast and accurate auscultation, facilitating patient care.
Accurate and fast diagnostic technology
Austral Dx’s SMC is a breakthrough innovation that combines an intelligent adaptive acoustic antenna, advanced control electronics and a sophisticated software base . This device maps thoracic surface movements and vibrations at a rate of 1000 frames per second, providing a detailed and objective analysis of cardiac and pulmonary functions.
An immediate response to improve patient care in emergency rooms
In emergency rooms, where 20% of patients – or 4 million people per year in France – present with breathing difficulties or cardiopulmonary pain , Austral Dx is transforming care. Our solution enables reliable diagnosis in less than 30 minutes, compared to the current average of 3 hours, thus improving the efficiency of patient triage and care.
A fast-growing market
The target market for Austral Dx is large and growing, with an estimated potential of over €1.5 billion in emergency departments alone. The device can be used in a variety of settings: hospital emergency rooms, community medicine, home monitoring of chronic diseases , and even in developing countries where access to diagnostic imaging is limited.
A disruptive innovation with key advantages
The medical device has significant advantages compared to solutions available on the market:
- One examination, two diagnoses: pulmonary and cardiac
- Speed and accuracy of diagnosis in less than 2 minutes, notably thanks to on-board AI for data analysis
- Contactless and risk-free: No radiation, eliminating the risks associated with traditional examinations
- Ease of use and maintenance: automated system
- Independent operator: Can be used by non-specialist personnel after minimal training
- Cost-effective: Low acquisition and operating costs compared to other imaging modalities. For example, compared to a chest X-ray, the device can cost up to 50% less, with the added benefit of reduced time spent on expert analysis.
Considerable benefits
The benefits of the solution are appreciated from the moment of deployment:
- For patients : fast and reliable care
- For doctors and caregivers : saving valuable time allowing them to concentrate on medical time
- For the hospital : optimization of available time and resources, cost savings (fewer tests required)
Significant progress and promising results
Austral Dx has already achieved several key milestones, including initial clinical validation and the start of a promising clinical trial at Caen University Hospital. In cardiology, initial results show a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 88% (42 patients). In pulmonology, the sensitivity is 93% and a specificity of 75% (40 patients). AI further improves the analysis with performance up to 97%, confirming the test’s potential for early detection of heart and lung diseases on a large scale.
Our marketing strategy
We plan to launch our first product in 2028, initially targeting emergency services in France, Germany, and Switzerland. Expansion to the United States and China is planned for 2029, with significantly higher sales prices: approximately twice those of the European market in the United States and 1.5 times those in China.
An investment with a strong economic and social impact
At Austral Dx, we don’t just transform medical diagnostics; we also create skilled jobs in France and support public research through royalties on our patents. Our local production helps strengthen the country’s health and industrial sovereignty.
Investing in Austral Dx means supporting an innovative technology with significant market potential and significant social impact. With an experienced team, proven technology, and a robust commercialization plan, we are poised to become a leader in cardiopulmonary diagnostics.
Join us as we transform emergency medicine and improve the lives of millions of people around the world.
