A medical device about the size of a playing card has emerged as a powerful new tool in the fight against undiagnosed heart disease. The AI-enhanced stethoscope, developed by researchers at Imperial College London, is capable of detecting three major heart conditions in just 15 seconds—potentially transforming how millions of patients receive cardiac care across the UK.
In the most comprehensive real-world trial to date, researchers tested the device across more than 200 GP surgeries in London, examining over 12,000 patients with symptoms of heart conditions. The results, presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, showed the AI stethoscope dramatically improved detection rates: patients were over twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart failure, atrial fibrillation was identified 3.5 times more frequently, and heart valve disease was spotted nearly twice as often compared to traditional methods.
Upgrading a 200-Year-Old Tool
The traditional stethoscope, which has remained largely unchanged since its invention in 1816, has now been “upgraded for the 21st century”. The new device features a digital unit that replaces the conventional chest piece, recording electrical signals from the heart via an ECG while also capturing audio of blood flow with a microphone. This information is sent to cloud-based AI algorithms trained on data from tens of thousands of patients.
Dr Patrik Bächtiger from Imperial College London’s National Heart and Lung Institute described the potential: “It is incredible that a smart stethoscope can be used for a 15-second examination, and then AI can quickly deliver a result indicating whether someone has heart failure, atrial fibrillation, or heart valve disease”.
Addressing a Critical Healthcare Gap
The breakthrough comes at a crucial time, as current diagnostic practices often miss heart conditions until patients arrive in A&E seriously ill. Heart failure affects more than one million people in the UK, and in over 70% of cases, it is only identified after emergency hospital admission.
The AI stethoscope technology, produced by California-based Eko Health, has already received FDA approval and is in use in some GP surgeries. The device demonstrated 85% sensitivity and 70% specificity for detecting low ejection fraction, a key indicator of heart failure.
Clinical Validation and Future Rollout
The TRICORDER study is among the first major AI research programmes conducted in British primary care. However, the researchers observed that 70% of GP surgeries given the smart stethoscopes had stopped or only rarely used them after 12 months. Efforts to embed the technology into existing practice routines will be required for broader adoption.
The study also found that two-thirds of those flagged by the AI as possibly having heart failure did not actually have the condition upon further blood tests or cardiac imaging. While this could prompt additional tests and some patient anxiety, the technology offers the opportunity to detect heart disease earlier, which might otherwise remain unnoticed.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation, called the development “an elegant example of how the humble stethoscope, invented more than 200 years ago, can be upgraded for the 21st century”. Plans are in place to extend the technology to GP practices in Wales, South London, and Sussex.
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