Results from the massive TRICORDER study suggest Eko Health’s AI-powered stethoscopes could change the way primary care providers perform cardiac screening, potentially catching thousands more patients for cardiologists to treat.
- Eko’s digital stethoscopes combine sound technology and ECG sensors with cloud-based AI analysis to deliver rapid screening at the point of care.
- Some estimates suggest up to two-thirds of HF cases and a quarter of AFib cases go undiagnosed in primary care, causing symptoms to worsen until diagnosed by a cardiologist.
The TRICORDER study results encompassed 205 NHS GP practices over 12 months, with nearly 1,000 providers performing more than 12.8k AI-stethoscope exams in routine care settings, finding that the digital stethoscopes improved several disease detection rates.
- AFib detection showed the most dramatic improvement at 3.5x higher rates.
- Heart failure detection increased 2.3-fold compared to standard stethoscopes.
- Valvular heart disease detection nearly doubled at 1.9x improvement.
Given the scale of undiagnosed cardiac disease, the TRICORDER findings support expanding AI-enhanced screening capabilities across healthcare systems to catch conditions before they become acute medical emergencies, with Eko already poised to do just that.
- Plans are underway to expand Eko’s AI-enabled stethoscopes across practices in South London, Sussex, and Wales following the successful trial results.
- With over 650k FDA-cleared devices already sold globally, Eko has a strong starting point for scaling this technology across primary care networks worldwide.
The Takeaway
The TRICORDER study represents a real world look at how AI adoption can transform detection and triage during routine clinical care. When it comes to cardiovascular disease, the sooner we catch it, the better the potential long-term outcomes so why not start with our first line of care?
