Overview

• The TRICORDER cluster‑randomised study across 205 GP surgeries found patients assessed with the Eko DUO were 2.33 times more likely to be diagnosed with heart failure, 3.45 times with atrial fibrillation, and 1.92 times with heart valve disease within 12 months.
• The playing‑card‑sized device records a quick ECG and heart sounds, uploads data for cloud‑based AI analysis, and returns a risk flag in about 15 seconds.
• Among those flagged for suspected heart failure, roughly two‑thirds were not confirmed after BNP blood testing and cardiac imaging.
• Device use tailed off, with about 70% of GP surgeries given the tool stopping or using it infrequently after a year, pointing to workflow and integration hurdles.
• Results were presented at the ESC Congress and published in BMJ Open, with researchers planning targeted rollouts to practices in Wales, south London and Sussex backed by NIHR, the British Heart Foundation and Imperial Health Charity.