Imperial College London (ICL)

ID 304

The purpose of data access to Discover is to measure the impact of providing the Eko DUO diagnostic tool to PC teams, specifically on rates of diagnosis of these priority CVD, and the location of diagnosis.

1. Background Heart failure (HF) means the heart cannot pump blood effectively. It is deadlier than most cancers, increasingly common and consumes 4% of the NHS budget. Early diagnosis maximises the benefits of treatments, improving symptoms, quality of life and survival. Unacceptably, 80% of patients are diagnosed with HF late, following an emergency hospital admission, and are likely to die prematurely – with substantial NHS cost. The remaining 20% – suspected of having HF by their GP – go through a long and rarely completed pathway to diagnosis. GPs have no accurate, easy-to-use tools to quickly check for HF. In the North West London Integrated Care System alone, our modelling indicates that up to 50% of HF remains undiagnosed. 2. The Eko DUO smart stethoscope The Eko DUO ‘smart stethoscope’, that fits easily into the GP routine of examining a patient, can detect HF with 92% accuracy (regardless of age, gender or ethnicity) – and early, even before patients develop symptoms. Eko DUO records signals from the heart’s electrical activity and heart sounds, by simple placement on the patient’s chest. After only 15 seconds, Eko DUO can detect HF, having analysed these signals with in-built artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, the Eko DUO can simultaneously detect atrial fibrillation (a form of irregular heart beat that is the most commonly preventable cause of stroke) and heart valve disease. 3. TRICORDER Study By providing GPs with Eko DUO, patients will directly benefit from a. earlier detection of HF, atrial fibrillation, and heart valve disease b. earlier treatment c. reduced diagnosis through emergency hospital admission. This will directly benefit patients by allowing clinicians, commissioners, and policymakers to base decision-making on procurement and implementation of the Eko DUO and associated pathways on real-world evidence directly linking Eko DUO deployment to better clinical and health economic outcomes. 4. Impact and Patient Involvement • Informed by surveying 10,000 local patients’ views on use of AI and smart technologies in their NHS care via the Care Information Exchange; • Supported by over 50 patients examined using the Eko DUO, and • Endorsed by the UK’s largest HF charity, Pumping Marvellous.

16/02/2023

TRE