A digital stethoscope that uses artificial intelligence (AI) is better at detecting heart murmurs associated with clinically significant valvular heart disease (VHD) than is a primary care physician (PCP) using a traditional stethoscope, a new study shows.
The results suggest collecting relevant sounds through a stethoscope (auscultation) using AI-powered technology is an important primary care tool to detect VHD, study author Moshe A. Rancier, MD, medical director, Massachusetts General Brigham Community Physicians, Lawrence, Massachusetts, told theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology.
"Incorporating this AI-assisted device into the primary care exam will help identify patients at risk for VHD earlier and eventually decrease costs in our healthcare system," he said, because timely detection could avoid emergency room visits and surgeries.
The findings were presented November 12 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2023 in Philadelphia.
VHD Common
Clinically significant VHD, indicating structural damage to heart valves, affects 1 in 10 adults older than 65 years. Patients may be asymptomatic or present to their PCP with an unspecific symptom like fatigue or malaise.
If VHD is undiagnosed and left untreated, patients could develop more severe symptoms, even be at risk for death, and their quality of life is significantly affected, said Rancier.
Cardiac auscultation, the current point-of-care clinical standard, has relatively low sensitivity for detecting VHD, leaving most patients undiagnosed.
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