Valvular heart disease and heart failure remain underdiagnosed in primary care settings. Symptoms such as external dyspnea, fatigue, dizziness, and peripheral edema are frequently attributed to normal aging or comorbid conditions, delaying diagnostic evaluation.
Diagnostic delay disproportionately affects Black patients due to structural barriers to specialty care, including insurance limitations, cardiology access shortages, and geographic distance from diagnostic imaging. As a result, clinically significant cardiac abnormalities may remain undetected until advanced disease develops.
A recent study found that AI-assisted auscultation significantly improves the detection of structural heart disease at the point of care. These findings have important implications for Black patients, as standardized acoustic analysis may improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce disparities in cardiovascular detection.
What The Study Found
An artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled stethoscope more than doubles a doctor’s ability to detect heart murmurs, a symptom of severe heart disease, a new study says.
Doctors armed with the AI-powered stethoscope accurately identified heart valve disease 92% of the time, versus 46% when using a traditional stethoscope, researchers reported Feb. 5 in the European Heart Journal-Digital Health.
“We have shown that an AI-enabled stethoscope is much better at spotting which patients have moderate to severe valvular disease than a traditional stethoscope in real-world clinical settings,” said senior researcher Dr. Rosalie McDonough, senior manager of medical affairs for the health technology company Eko Health in Emeryville, California.
“We hope this technology will allow patients to get faster access to an echocardiogram to formally diagnose their condition and then access treatment more quickly,” she said in a news release. “At a population level, this technology could reduce hospital admissions and the overall cost of health care.”
Doctors use a stethoscope to listen to a person’s heart for sounds associated with heart disease. These can include a heart murmur—a “whooshing” or “swishing” sound that occurs during a heartbeat, caused by turbulent blood flow through the heart.
The AI-powered stethoscope works by recording a person’s heart sounds and using AI analysis to recognize sound patterns associated with heart valve disease, researchers said.
For the new study, 357 people 50 and older at risk for heart disease were examined using both a traditional stethoscope and the AI-enabled stethoscope.
Researchers tracked the number of times a doctor detected a heart murmur using either device.
The patients’ heart health was then more closely examined using an echocardiogram to confirm the presence of heart valve disease.
Results showed that the AI stethoscope helped doctors better listen to a person’s heart and catch heart disease.
“The use of artificial intelligence provides an additional analytical layer, highlighting abnormalities that may be difficult to consistently detect by ear alone,” McDonough said. “But technology is not taking over; use of this device requires doctors to use their own clinical judgment.”
Researchers also observed another benefit.
“Patients assessed with the AI-enabled digital stethoscope seemed more engaged during their appointment,” McDonough added. “We think this was because they could see and hear what the clinician was responding to–which may increase trust and engagement with follow-up treatment.”
However, further research is needed to test the stethoscope’s performance in a variety of clinical settings and a greater diversity of patients, researchers said.
“This research adds to a growing body of evidence that artificial intelligence can enhance traditional clinical tools in a practical and responsible way that does not replace health professionals but gives them tools to have more confidence in their assessment of patients,” McDonough said.
Why This Matters for Black Patients
Black adults experience a disproportionately higher burden of cardiovascular disease, with earlier onset of hypertension, stroke, heart failure, and related risk factors compared with other populations. They also have the highest cardiovascular mortality rates in the United States.
Delayed diagnostic evaluation is a major contributor to these disparities. Structural barriers—including reduced access to cardiology services, limited availability of diagnostic imaging, insurance constraints, and geographic distance—contribute to later presentation.
Together, a higher baseline risk and later detection result in more advanced disease at diagnosis and poorer outcomes.
How AI-Assisted Auscultation Fits Into Clinical Workflow
AI-assisted auscultation functions act as a decision-support tool rather than a replacement for standard diagnostic assessment. Clinicians can incorporate it into routine vital signs or annual examinations without significant workflow disruption.
In primary care settings, abnormal acoustic flags may help clinicians prioritize echocardiography referrals and reduce missed moderate-to-severe valvular disease. This may be particularly useful in high-volume practices, where limited visit time may preclude a detailed cardiac examination.
Community health clinics and practices serving higher-risk populations may benefit from earlier identification of heart disease without requiring immediate access to specialty care. Earlier detection of cardiac abnormalities can support timely referrals and monitoring.
Limitations and Considerations
As previously stated, AI-assisted auscultation will not replace standard diagnostic imaging, and abnormalities still require confirmation with echocardiography. False positives may increase referral volume, particularly in the early stages of implementation.
In the study, the population was limited, so broader validation across more diverse clinical settings and patient populations is required. The performance of the AI-enabled stethoscope may vary depending on background noise, recording quality, and user technique.
Additionally, the cost of the device, staff training, EHR integration, and clinician acceptance must be considered. Practices will need to have protocols in place to flag findings to avoid unnecessary testing or referral.
Future Role of AI in Cardiovascular Screening
AI-enabled examination tools represent a shift toward augmented physical assessment rather than the replacement of clinical judgment. As technology advances, digital auscultation may extend beyond valvular disease to include heart failure monitoring and remote patient assessment.
Integration with telehealth platforms and portable diagnostics could allow earlier screening in community settings, including practices without on-site cardiology services. Over time, standardized acoustic analysis may support broader cardiovascular screening strategies and earlier intervention.
For Black patients, consistent point-of-care testing may facilitate earlier detection of cardiac abnormalities and improve the timing of treatment initiation.
More information:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on heart valve disease.
SOURCE: European Society of Cardiology, news release, Feb. 5, 2026