New Delhi, Jan 29: Amid growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, a new large-scale clinical trial published in The Lancet on Thursday showed that an AI-enabled stethoscope can boost early detection of various heart diseases. A team of Spanish researchers found that an AI-enabled stethoscope helped doctors in identifying early signs of serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, arrhythmias, and valve disease, in primary care clinics. The AI stethoscope integrates three algorithms designed to detect heart failure, irregular heart rhythms, and valve disease during routine appointments. The trial suggests that AI tools such as smart stethoscopes could help physicians detect heart problems earlier in routine care, but only if they’re properly integrated into day-to-day clinical operations. Many practices reported declining use of the AI stethoscope over time, citing extra steps in routine work and limited electronic health record integration as key barriers.