'TRIUMPH OF Smart stethoscopes

AI-POWERED smart stethoscopes can detect three deadly heart conditions at a GP's surgery in just 15 seconds.

- BY MARTIN BAGOT Health Editor

The classic doctor's kit, used for listening to sounds in the body, has changed little in more than 200 years.

But GPs at 96 NHS surgeries have been trialling a new smart version.

The advanced equipment can analyse tiny differences in heartbeat and blood flow undetectable to the human ear and take a rapid electrocardiogram (ECG) heart test, allowing fast diagnosis of heart failure, heart valve disease, and abnormal heart rhythms.