Smart Stetoscope, a new weapon against heart disease

A study conducted by a British team revealed that these devices can identify heart problems, heart valve disease, and irregular heart rate almost immediately.

The original Stetoscope, invented in 1816, enables doctors to hear the inner body sounds. The modern version uses a microphone to analyze very small changes in heart rate and blood flow, often indistinguishable to human ears.

The device also implements an electrocardiogram (EKG) and sends the data to “cloud” to be analyzed by AI, trained with data from tens of thousands of patients.

The study, conducted by Imperial College London and Imperial College Health Trust, included over 12,000 patients from 96 health centres, examined with smart stethoscopes produced by the American company Eco Health.

The results were compared to patients from 109 other centres where technology was not used. According to researchers, heart patients were 2,33 times more likely to reveal the disease within 12 months when they were tested with intelligent stethoscope.

The irregular heart rate, often without symptoms but with risk of strokes, was discovered 3.5 times more frequently, while heart valve disease was identified 1.9 times more. Read also: Scientists review how aging medicine can be accessed

Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and cardiologist, stated:

This is an excellent example of how simple stethoscope, invented more than 200 years ago, can be improved for the XXI century.”

She added that such innovations are essential:

“Often these diseases are diagnosed only in advanced stages when patients are presented in emergency situations. If the diagnosis is done earlier, people may receive the treatment they need to live longer and better.

The” findings were introduced before thousands of doctors at the annual congress of the European Cardiology Association in Madrid, the world's largest heart health conference. The next plan is for the device to be distributed to medical centers south of London, Susex and Wales.