Stethoscopes fueled by artificial intelligence (AI) could help detect three different heart conditions in a few seconds, according to the researchers.
The traditional stethoscope, invented in 1816 to listen to sounds inside a person’s body, was “improved for the 21st century” and used in a pilot involving more than 200 GP surgeries London.
THE IA Stethoscopes could be a “real change of game”, potentially allowing patients with heart failure, heart valve disease and abnormal heart rhythms, also known as atrial fibrillation, to be treated earlier, suggests the test.
Researchers have found that heart failure was 2.3 times more likely to be detected in patients in the next 12 months which have benefited from the new technology compared to those who did not do so.
The models of abnormal heart rhythms, which have no symptoms but can increase the risk of stroke, were 3.5 times more detectable with stethoscopes, while the heart valve disease was 1.9 times more detectable.
The devices work by placing a monitor the size of a card on the patient’s chest, which takes an electrocardiogram (EEG) to measure the electrical signals of the heart and uses a microphone to record the sound of the blood flowing in the heart.
The two data sets are then sent to the Cloud and analyzed using an AI that was formed using similar information from tens of thousands of patients.
The pilot, led by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, could now be deployed in southern London, Sussex and Wales.
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Professor Mike Lewis, scientific director of innovation at the National Institute for Health and Care Research, who supported the study, said: “This tool could change the situation for patients, bringing innovation directly into the hands of GPS.
“The AI stethoscope gives local clinicians the ability to identify problems earlier, to diagnose patients in the community and to tackle some of the major killers of society.”
The trial compared 12,725 patients – some from 96 GP surgeries who used new stethoscopes and others of 109 which did not use them.
The patients involved in research had symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue or swelling of the legs or feet, all signs of heart failure.
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Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director of the British Heart Foundation and a consultant cardiologist, said: “This is an elegant example of how the humble stethoscope, invented over 200 years ago, can be improved for the 21st century.
“We need innovations like these, because so often, this condition is only diagnosed with an advanced stage when patients attend the hospital in an emergency.
“Given an earlier diagnosis, people can access the treatment they need to help them live well longer.”
