AI stethoscope developed by doctors can detect major heart conditions in 15 seconds

AI is not only improving technology, it is elevating science, medications and life. It has helped doctors create and operate with a variety of new tools and techniques that earlier took years' worth of time.Invented in 1816, the traditional stethoscope has been used to listen to sounds within the body and has been a vital part of the medical toolkit for decades.Now, a team of researchers at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS trust have developed a hi-tech upgrade stethoscope with AI capabilities.

What can it do?

The new tool, which is the size of a playing card, has been manufactured by Eko Health, a Californian company.

It is placed on the patient's chest to take an ECG recording of the electrical signals from their heart, while its microphone records the sound of blood flowing through the heart.Then, the information is sent to a cloud to be analysed by AI algorithms that detect whether a person is at risk and send it back to a smartphone. It can diagnose heart failure, heart valve disease and abnormal heart rhythms in just 15 seconds. It can also analyse tiny differences in heartbeat and blood flow undetectable to the human ear and take a rapid ECG at the same time.

It can help in the early diagnosis of heart failure, heart valve disease and abnormal heart rhythms, enabling those in need of lifesaving medicines to be recognised before their condition deteriorates.A study around the AI stethoscope involving about 12,000 patients from 200 GP surgeries in the UK looked at those with symptoms including breathlessness or fatigue. Those examined with the new stethoscope were twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart failure compared to similar patients who were not examined using it.Patients were three times more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation- an abnormal heart rhythm that can elevate the risk of having a stroke. They were twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart valve disease, when one or more heart valves don't work properly.

What do doctors think?

"It is incredible that a smart stethoscope can be used for a 15-second examination, and then AI can quickly deliver a test result indicating whether someone has heart failure, atrial fibrillation or heart valve disease,” said Dr Patrik Bächtiger, of Imperial College London’s National Heart and Lung Institute and Imperial College healthcare NHS trust."Most people with heart failure are only diagnosed when they arrive in A&E seriously ill. This trial shows that AI-enabled stethoscopes could change that – giving GPs a quick, simple tool to spot problems earlier, so patients can get the right treatment sooner,” added Dr Mihir Kelshiker at Imperial College.Details of this breakthrough were presented to thousands of doctors at the European Society of Cardiology annual congress in Madrid, the world's largest heart conference.