A major NHS study published in The Lancet has found that a new AI‑enabled stethoscope can help GPs detect serious heart conditions more quickly and more frequently – but only when it is used consistently and correctly in routine practice.
The TRICORDER trial, led by researchers at Imperial College London’s National Heart and Lung Institute and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, examined how effectively the AI device could identify conditions such as heart failure, arrhythmias and valve disease in primary care. The research was supported by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial’s British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, and Imperial Health Charity.
The study found that while the AI‑enabled stethoscope performed well, it did not significantly increase overall heart failure diagnoses across all participating practices. The main reason was inconsistent use: many GPs did not incorporate the device routinely into daily appointments.
However, in practices where GPs used the AI tool as recommended, results were striking. The technology enabled doctors to:
- Detect nearly twice as many new cases of heart failure
- Identify three times as many irregular heart rhythms
- Diagnose valve disease more frequently and earlier
These findings suggest the device’s true potential depends heavily on training, adoption and consistent use in primary care settings.
Conditions like heart failure, arrhythmias and valve disease are common, treatable and often manageable with early intervention. Yet many patients are diagnosed only after a crisis point, such as an emergency hospital visit.
AI‑assisted stethoscope technology could help reverse that trend by identifying heart abnormalities earlier in GP appointments, reducing avoidable emergency admissions, supporting faster treatment decisions, and improving long‑term outcomes for patients.
Researchers say the findings demonstrate that digital innovations will meaningfully improve NHS care only when they are embedded fully into everyday clinical practice.
The TRICORDER study is one of the NHS’s largest real‑world evaluations of AI in frontline care:
- 205 GP practices participated
- Covering more than 1.5 million registered patients
- Nearly 13,000 AI‑assisted heart examinations were carried out
- Conducted over a full 12‑month period
Despite variable adoption across practices, the trial generated robust evidence that AI‑enabled stethoscopes can significantly improve early detection when used routinely.
Dr Patrik Bachtiger said:
“Our trial suggests AI tools like smart stethoscopes help us detect heart conditions earlier, but only if they are used and properly integrated into everyday clinical practice. Although the technology performed well, the impact it could have in the real world depends on doctors being able to use the technology easily during busy clinics.”
The study showcases how frontline NHS settings can drive innovation, ensuring new technologies are evaluated at scale before wider rollout.
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