An AI algorithm to detect heart failure, embedded in a digital stethoscope, earned clearance from the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday. The goal is to help primary care doctors more easily identify the often-hidden condition.
The stethoscope is the result of a collaboration between Mayo Clinic researchers, who built the algorithm, and the startup Eko Health, which built the hardware. Mayo Clinic is an investor in Eko, which has raised $128 million over the past six years. Eko’s stethoscopes currently use two predictive AI algorithms: one for atrial fibrillation and one for structural heart murmur. The difference with heart failure, though, is how much more difficult it is for doctors to catch.
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