Overview

• The TRICORDER cluster‑randomised trial across more than 200 GP surgeries tested 12,725 symptomatic patients with an AI‑enabled device, with results presented at the ESC Congress and published in BMJ Open.
• Patients examined with the device were 2.33 times more likely to be diagnosed with heart failure, 3.45 times more likely with atrial fibrillation, and 1.92 times more likely with heart valve disease within 12 months.
• The handheld tool records a brief ECG and heart sounds, sends data to cloud‑based AI for analysis, and returns a risk flag to a clinician’s smartphone in about 15 seconds.
• Two thirds of heart‑failure flags were not confirmed on BNP blood tests or scans, and researchers stress the need for confirmatory testing and careful use in symptomatic patients only.
• About 70% of participating practices used the devices infrequently or stopped after a year, as plans proceed to pilot rollouts in Wales, south London and Sussex using Eko Health hardware funded by NIHR, the British Heart Foundation and Imperial Health Charity.