AI-Enabled Stethoscope Revolutionizes Heart Condition Detection in Seconds

Humble stethoscope gets an upgrade: AI helps it detect three heart conditions in 15 seconds

An AI-enabled stethoscope can help doctors pick up three heart conditions in just 15 seconds, according to the results of a real-world trial presented at the European Society of Cardiology's annual congress in Madrid. The paper is also published in the journal BMJ Open. The stethoscope, invented in 1816, is a vital part of a doctor's toolkit, used to listen to sounds within the body. But an AI stethoscope can do much more, including analyzing tiny differences in heartbeat and blood flow which are undetectable to the human ear, and taking a rapid ECG at the same time. Researchers at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust now have evidence that an AI stethoscope can increase detection of heart failure at the early stage when someone goes to their GP with symptoms. A study involving more than 200 GP surgeries, with more than 1.5 million patients, looked at people with symptoms such as breathlessness or fatigue. Those examined using an AI stethoscope were twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart failure, compared to similar patients who were not examined using the technology. Patients examined with the AI-stethoscope were about 3.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation -- an abnormal heart rhythm which can increase the risk of having a stroke. They were almost twice as likely to receive a diagnosis of heart valve disease, which is where one or more heart valves do not work properly. Early diagnosis is vital for all three conditions, allowing patients who may need potentially lifesaving medicines to be identified sooner, before they become dangerously unwell. Dr. Patrik Bächtiger, from Imperial College London's National Heart and Lung Institute and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said, "The design of the stethoscope has been unchanged for 200 years -- until now. "So 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." Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation and consultant cardiologist, said, "This is an elegant example of how the humble stethoscope, invented more than 200 years ago, can be upgraded for the 21st century. "We need innovations like these, providing early detection of heart failure, because so often this condition is only diagnosed at an advanced stage when patients attend hospital as an emergency. "Given an earlier diagnosis, people can access the treatment they need to help them live well for longer." Heart failure -- where the heart is not pumping blood around the body properly -- affects more than a million people in the UK. In more than 70% of cases, it is only diagnosed after they are rushed to hospital. But half of these people would previously have had symptoms or contact with a primary care health care professional, representing a potential opportunity to detect their heart failure. A smart stethoscope could help with this earlier detection. The AI stethoscope was trialed with patients who showed any of three symptoms suggesting they were suffering from heart failure -- breathlessness, fatigue or swelling of the lower legs and/or feet. If found to be at high risk, they went on to have their diagnosis confirmed with a blood test for a hormone called BNP -- which is at a higher level when someone has heart failure -- and a heart scan. The stethoscope project, which was one of the first large-scale AI research programs to be run in British GP surgeries, saw 12,725 patients examined using the technology. These patients, within 96 surgeries in North West London, were compared to patients from another 109 surgeries in the area, where AI stethoscopes were not used. People examined using AI stethoscopes were 2.33 times more likely to be diagnosed with heart failure in the next 12 months. Dr. Mihir Kelshiker, another member of the research team from Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said, "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." The device, which is about the size of a playing card, is placed on a 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. This information is sent securely to the cloud -- a secure online data storage area -- to be analyzed by AI algorithms, which have been trained on health data from tens of thousands of people and can detect subtle heart problems a human would miss. A test result, indicating whether the patient has been flagged as at-risk for heart failure or not, is sent straight back to a smartphone. A separate algorithm can detect atrial fibrillation, which often has no symptoms and is a contributing factor to one in five strokes in the UK, but can be managed with blood-thinning medications. People examined using AI stethoscopes were 3.45 times more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, and 1.92 times more likely to be diagnosed with heart valve disease in the next 12 months. But 70% of GP surgeries given smart stethoscopes in the study stopped using them, or used them infrequently, after 12 months. The researchers suggest that efforts to integrate the technology into GPs' existing routines would be needed to roll the technology out more widely. The study showed two-thirds of people identified by the AI stethoscope as having suspected heart failure did not in fact have it, when given a further blood test or heart scan. That could lead to unnecessary anxiety and tests for some people, but researchers point out that for other patients, using the AI stethoscope could detect signs of heart failure which might otherwise have been missed. The researchers stress that the AI-stethoscope should be used for patients with symptoms of suspected heart problems, and not for routine checks in healthy people. Professor Nicholas Peters, senior investigator from Imperial College London and consultant cardiologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said, "Our study shows that three heart conditions can now be identified in one sitting. "Importantly, this technology is already available to some patients and being widely used in GP surgeries." Professor Mike Lewis, NIHR Scientific Director for Innovation, said, "This tool could be a real game-changer for patients, bringing innovation directly into the hands of GPs. "The AI stethoscope gives local clinicians the ability to spot problems earlier, diagnose patients in the community, and address some of the big killers in society."

AI stethoscope could detect heart conditions in seconds

The new device replaces the traditional chest piece with a device around the size of a playing card. It uses a microphone to analyse subtle differences in heartbeat and blood flow that the human ear cannot detect. The study by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust involved more than 200 GP surgeries in London. More than 12,000 patients from 96 surgeries were examined with the AI stethoscope and were then compared to patients from 109 GP surgeries where the technology was not used. Those examined with the device were 2.33 times more likely to be diagnosed with heart failure in the next 12 months, researchers said. Abnormal heartbeat patterns, which have no symptoms but can increase stroke risk, were 3.5 times more detectable with the AI stethoscopes, while heart valve disease was 1.9 times more detectable. Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and consultant cardiologist, said: "This is an elegant example of how the humble stethoscope, invented more than 200 years ago, can be upgraded for the 21st century". Such innovations are vital "because so often this condition is only diagnosed at an advanced stage when patients attend hospital as an emergency", she said. "Given an earlier diagnosis, people can access the treatment they need to help them live well for longer." The findings have been presented to thousands of doctors at the European Society of Cardiology annual congress in Madrid, the world's largest heart conference. There are plans to roll out the new stethoscopes to GP practices in Wales, south London and Sussex.

Doctors develop AI stethoscope that can detect major heart conditions in 15 seconds

Upgraded medical tool has ability to diagnose heart failure, heart valve disease and abnormal heart rhythms Doctors have successfully developed an artificial intelligence-led stethoscope that can detect three heart conditions in 15 seconds. Invented in 1816, the traditional stethoscope - used to listen to sounds within the body - has been a vital part of every medic's toolkit for more than two centuries. Now a team have designed a hi-tech upgrade with AI capabilities that can diagnose heart failure, heart valve disease and abnormal heart rhythms almost instantly. The new stethoscope developed by researchers at Imperial College London and Imperial College healthcare NHS trust can analyse tiny differences in heartbeat and blood flow undetectable to the human ear, and take a rapid ECG at the same time. Details of the breakthrough, which could boost early diagnosis of the three conditions, were presented to thousands of doctors at the European Society of Cardiology annual congress in Madrid, the world's largest heart conference. Early diagnosis is vital for heart failure, heart valve disease and abnormal heart rhythms, enabling those who need lifesaving medicines to be spotted sooner, before they become dangerously unwell. A study trialling the AI stethoscope, involving about 12,000 patients from 200 GP surgeries in the UK, looked at those with symptoms such as breathlessness or fatigue. Those examined using the new tool were twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart failure, compared with similar patients who were not examined using the technology. Patients were three times more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation - an abnormal heart rhythm that can increase the risk of having a stroke. They were almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart valve disease, which is where one or more heart valves do not work properly. Dr Patrik Bächtiger, of Imperial College London's National Heart and Lung Institute and Imperial College healthcare NHS trust, said: "The design of the stethoscope has been unchanged for 200 years - until now. "So 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." The device, manufactured by California company Eko Health, is about the size of a playing card. It is placed on a 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. This information is sent to the cloud - a secure online data storage area - to be analysed by AI algorithms that can detect subtle heart problems a human would miss. The test result, indicating whether the patient should be flagged as at-risk for one of the three conditions or not, is sent back to a smartphone. The breakthrough does carry an element of risk, with a higher chance of people wrongly being told they may have one of the conditions when they do not. The researchers stressed the AI stethoscope should be used for patients with symptoms of suspected heart problems, and not for routine checks in healthy people. But it could also save lives and money by diagnosing people much earlier. Dr Mihir Kelshiker, also at Imperial College, said: "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." Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, the clinical director of the British Heart Foundation, which part-funded the research alongside the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), said: "Given an earlier diagnosis, people can access the treatment they need to help them live well for longer." Prof Mike Lewis, the NIHR scientific director for innovation, said: "This tool could be a real gamechanger for patients, bringing innovation directly into the hands of GPs. The AI stethoscope gives local clinicians the ability to spot problems earlier, diagnose patients in the community, and address some of the big killers in society."

NHS AI equipment to catch heart disease in 15 seconds

Stethoscopes equipped with artificial intelligence are being used by NHS doctors to catch deadly heart conditions. The smart stethoscopes can diagnose heart failure, heart valve disease and abnormal heart rhythms in just 15 seconds, a new trial found. GPs have trialled the devices at 96 surgeries around the country as part of a pilot to detect and treat heart issues sooner. The stethoscope has been a vital part of a doctors' toolkit since it was invented in 1816, but has now been revamped for the first time since. The extra AI-powered features mean the medical kit can analyse tiny differences in heartbeat and blood flow undetectable to the human ear and also simultaneously take a rapid electrocardiogram (ECG). Experts said the "quick simple tool" could mean patients are treated sooner. Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, a consultant cardiologist clinical director at the British Heart Foundation, which funded the research, said: "This is an elegant example of how the humble stethoscope, invented more than 200 years ago, can be upgraded for the 21st century. "We need innovations like these, providing early detection of heart failure, because so often this condition is only diagnosed at an advanced stage when patients attend hospital as an emergency. Given an earlier diagnosis, people can access the treatment they need to help them live well for longer."

'Game-changing' AI stethoscopes could detect heart conditions in seconds

The traditional stethoscope, invented in 1816 to listen to the sounds inside a person's body, has been "upgraded for the 21st century" and used in a pilot involving more than 200 GP surgeries in London. Stethoscopes powered by artificial intelligence (AI) could help detect three different heart conditions in seconds, according to researchers. The traditional stethoscope, invented in 1816 to listen to the sounds inside a person's body, has been "upgraded for the 21st century" and used in a pilot involving more than 200 GP surgeries in London. The AI stethoscopes could be a "real game-changer", potentially allowing patients with heart failure, heart valve disease and abnormal heart rhythms, also known as atrial fibrillation, to be treated sooner, the trial suggests. Researchers found that heart failure was 2.3 times more likely to be detected in patients over the next 12 months who benefited from the new technology compared to those who did not. Abnormal heartbeat patterns, which have no symptoms but can increase stroke risk, were 3.5 times more detectable with the stethoscopes, while heart valve disease was 1.9 times more detectable. The devices work by placing a playing card-sized monitor onto the patient's chest, which takes an electrocardiogram (EEG) to measure the electrical signals from the heart and uses a microphone to record the sound of blood flowing through the heart. Both sets of data are then sent to the cloud and analysed using AI that has been trained using similar information from tens of thousands of patients. The pilot, conducted by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, could now be rolled out in south London, Sussex, and Wales. Addressing 'society's biggest killers' Professor Mike Lewis, scientific director for innovation at the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which supported the study, said: "This tool could be a real game-changer for patients, bringing innovation directly into the hands of GPs. "The AI stethoscope gives local clinicians the ability to spot problems earlier, diagnose patients in the community, and address some of the big killers in society." The trial compared 12,725 patients - some from 96 GP surgeries that used the new stethoscopes and others from 109 that did not use them. Patients involved in the research had symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue, or leg or foot swelling, which are all signs of heart failure. Read more from Sky News Has AI passed the Will Smith test? Chickenpox vaccine to be offered on NHS Cost of weight loss drug to be reduced Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation and consultant cardiologist, commented: "This is an elegant example of how the humble stethoscope, invented more than 200 years ago, can be upgraded for the 21st century. "We need innovations like these, because so often this condition is only diagnosed at an advanced stage when patients attend hospital as an emergency. "Given an earlier diagnosis, people can access the treatment they need to help them live well for longer."