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last mo.

UK Trial Finds AI Stethoscope Detects Three Major Heart Conditions in 15 Seconds

Researchers plan targeted pilots in Wales, South London, Sussex after a large trial raised false-positive, uptake concerns despite higher detection.

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London Doctors Have Developed An AI Stethoscope That Can Detect 3 Major Heart Conditions In 15 Seconds; Details Inside. (Image: AI)
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Overview

  • In the TRICORDER cluster study across more than 200 GP surgeries and 12,725 symptomatic patients, diagnoses rose 2.3x for heart failure, 3.5x for atrial fibrillation and nearly 2x for valve disease versus usual care.
  • The handheld device pairs Imperial College–developed software with Eko Health hardware to capture ECG and heart sounds, upload data to the cloud and return results to a clinician’s smartphone in about 15 seconds.
  • Specificity was a key issue, with roughly two-thirds of patients flagged for suspected heart failure not confirmed on follow-up blood tests or scans, underscoring the need for confirmatory testing.
  • Real‑world adoption lagged as about 70% of participating practices stopped or rarely used the tool after 12 months, pointing to workflow integration and training barriers.
  • Backed in part by the British Heart Foundation and NIHR, the results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress and reported in BMJ Open, and the team now plans rollouts to selected GP practices in Wales, South London and Sussex.