Digital stethoscope with artificial intelligence may detect aortic stenosis

Screening for significant aortic stenosis was fast and effective through the assessment of phonocardiograms by a digital stethoscope and machine learning, according to results presented at the American Society of Echocardiography Scientific Sessions. "A machine-learning algorithm trained on heart sounds can rapidly and accurately detect a murmur in patients with clinically significant aortic stenosis," Steve Pham, MD, vice president of clinical and research affairs at Eko Devices, told Cardiology Today. "Front-line clinicians may be able to use Eko stethoscopes (Eko CORE) with this algorithm to refer patients for echocardiography to confirm aortic stenosis." Brent E. White, MD, of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and colleagues analyzed 639 recordings from 161 patients who were undergoing transthoracic echocardiography. The 15-second phonocardiogram recordings were obtained from the digital stethoscope, which is wirelessly paired with a mobile app (Eko Mobile).