A new artificial intelligence (AI)–powered stethoscope developed by California-based Eko Health has demonstrated the ability to detect heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and heart valve disease in as little as 15 seconds, according to findings from the TRICORDER study led by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
The device integrates a traditional stethoscope’s acoustic function with a built-in microphone and electrocardiogram (ECG) capability, enabling it to capture subtle changes in heart rhythm and blood flow that are often inaudible to the human ear. Data is securely uploaded to the cloud, where algorithms trained on tens of thousands of patient records analyze the signals and send diagnostic results directly to a smartphone — allowing clinicians to take immediate action when patients are flagged at risk.
The study, involving 12,700 patients across 200 GP surgeries in the UK, showed that patients assessed using the AI stethoscope were:
2.3× more likely to be diagnosed with heart failure,
3.5× more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, and
nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart valve disease within a year, compared to those assessed in practices not using the device.
Researchers presented the findings at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, noting that earlier detection could help physicians prescribe life-saving treatments sooner, potentially avoiding emergency hospital admissions.
However, adoption challenges remain. Approximately 70% of GP practices provided with the devices stopped using them regularly after a year, citing workflow integration issues and the need for additional training. The device also produced false positives, occasionally flagging patients without underlying conditions — though experts note this is preferable to missing serious diagnoses.
Compact and about the size of a playing card, the AI stethoscope is not designed for routine screening of healthy individuals but is positioned as a powerful diagnostic aid in primary care settings. If implementation hurdles are overcome, researchers believe this innovation could represent the most significant advance in stethoscope technology in over two centuries.
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