Study: Eko Health’s Digital Stethoscopes Better at Detecting Heart Disease

Eko Health is touting positive results from the TRICORDER (Triple Cardiovascular Disease Detection Using an Artificial Intelligence Smart Stethoscope) study, led by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

One of the largest randomized evaluations of AI ever conducted in routine care, TRICORDER spanned 205 NHS GP practices with 1.5 million registered patients, including more than 12,800 artificial intelligence (AI)-stethoscope exams performed by nearly 1,000 providers. When Eko Health’s AI-enabled digital stethoscope was used as intended during routine exams, the detection of major cardiac conditions increased dramatically over a 12-month period compared to the standard of care, according to the study data.

Result show that heart failure was 2.3x more likely to be detected; atrial fibrillation (AFib) was 3.5x more likely to be detected; and valvular heart disease was 1.9x more likely to be caught.

These findings have drawn strong interest from providers and patient groups and underscore the potential for earlier cardiac disease detection and treatment, Eko Health bigwigs claim.

“This is an elegant example of how the humble stethoscope, invented more than 200 years ago, can be upgraded for the 21st century,” said Dr. Nicholas S. Peters, professor of Cardiology and director of the Health Impact Lab at Imperial College London. “By helping GPs identify heart disease in seconds, this technology offers patients earlier access to life-saving treatment, often before symptoms become severe. Demonstrating the benefits of real-world implementation of Eko’s device is the real impact of the TRICORDER programme and the mission of The Health Impact Lab”

Unlike tightly controlled efficacy studies, TRICORDER was designed to mirror real-world practice. Providers used the device as they would in routine care, without prescriptive oversight. The findings demonstrate that integration of AI at the point of care can uncover hidden cardiac conditions that might otherwise remain undiagnosed until hospitalization or emergency care.

“The TRICORDER trial confirms what providers worldwide have experienced firsthand. AI can turn a routine exam using a stethoscope into one of the most powerful early detection tools in medicine,” Eko Health Co-Founder/CEO Connor Landgraf stated. “This is not about future promises; it’s about saving lives today by giving clinicians actionable insights within seconds.”

Using advanced sound technology and ECG sensors, Eko digital stethoscopes capture sounds and electrical signals from the heart, then transmit them to the cloud for AI analysis trained on tens of thousands of patients. The results are instantly available at the point of care.

With plans to expand use of Eko AI-enabled digital stethoscopes across practices in South London, Sussex, and Wales, TRICORDER marks a milestone moment in the adoption of AI-powered tools in everyday clinical care, Eko Health officials said.

Eko Health is an AI early disease detection company advancing the ways in which healthcare professionals detect and monitor heart and lung disease, using its portfolio of digital stethoscopes and ECG devices, patient and provider software, and AI-powered analysis. Its U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared platform, with more than 650,000 devices sold to providers globally, allows physicians to detect disease earlier and with higher accuracy, manage treatment effectively, and ultimately improve patient care. Eko Health is headquartered in Emeryville, Calif.

Imperial’s Health Impact Lab turns evidence into everyday practice by applying implementation science and clinician leadership to move impactful innovations into routine patient care.