AI-enabled stethoscopes may boost diagnosis of heart diseases: Study

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape modern medicine, a landmark clinical trial has found that a new generation of AI-enabled stethoscopes could significantly sharpen doctors’ ability to detect heart disease at its earliest and most treatable stages.

In a large-scale study published in The Lancet on Thursday, researchers reported that an AI-powered stethoscope helped primary care doctors spot early warning signs of serious cardiovascular conditions — including heart failure, irregular heart rhythms and valve disease — during routine clinic visits.

Led by a team of Spanish researchers, the study showed that when the AI device was introduced into everyday practice, detection rates rose markedly. Doctors using the smart stethoscope identified nearly twice as many new cases of heart failure and three times as many cases of arrhythmia compared with standard care, underscoring the technology’s promise as a diagnostic aid.

“Primary care is under growing strain, with rising workloads and limited resources, making it an ideal setting for the efficiencies promised by artificial intelligence,” said corresponding author Sergio Cinza-Sanjurjo of the University of Santiago de Compostela. While the potential of AI to enhance diagnostic accuracy is well established, he noted, weaving these tools seamlessly into daily clinical workflows remains a challenge.

Known as the TRICORDER trial, the study is the first national-scale, cluster-randomised controlled implementation trial of a clinical AI technology. It involved 205 National Health Service (NHS) general practices across the UK and covered more than 1.5 million registered patients.

The AI stethoscope used in the trial combines three separate algorithms, designed to detect heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms and valve disease during standard consultations. Over the 12-month study period, doctors carried out nearly 13,000 AI-assisted cardiac examinations.

While overall heart failure diagnoses were similar between the AI group and those receiving usual care — 1,342 versus 1,984 new cases — a closer look revealed a crucial distinction. Patients who were actually examined using the AI stethoscope showed significantly higher detection rates than those who were not, highlighting the device’s effectiveness when actively deployed.

The findings suggest that AI-driven tools such as smart stethoscopes could help clinicians catch heart disease earlier, potentially improving outcomes through timely intervention. However, the study also underscores that technological accuracy alone is not enough.

Despite strong performance by the algorithms, real-world benefits depended heavily on clinician engagement and how smoothly the technology fit into everyday practice. Many clinics reported a gradual decline in use of the AI stethoscope over time, citing additional steps in routine workflows and limited integration with electronic health records as major obstacles.

Ultimately, the researchers concluded, AI has the power to transform frontline healthcare — but only if innovation is matched with thoughtful implementation, training and system-wide support.

With IANS inputs