Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan
Clinical Director, the British Heart Foundation and Consultant Cardiologist
Cutting-edge technology promises faster diagnosis of heart conditions using smart stethoscopes and cheek swab tests to detect heart failure and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) early.
A new version of the humble stethoscope, first invented more than 200 years ago, can boost the diagnosis of heart problems, while a cheek swab can flag a heart condition in children. The findings, presented at the recent European Society of Cardiology Congress, were made possible by the support of the British Heart Foundation and thanks to the generosity of the public.
A test result in just 15 seconds with a smart stethoscope
People visiting their GP with symptoms like fatigue and breathlessness could benefit from a 15-second examination with a ‘smart’ stethoscope. Smart stethoscopes record sounds in the chest and the heart’s electrical activity, and then use artificial intelligence to analyse the readings.
Researchers at Imperial College London, led by Professor Nicholas Peters, found patients examined using a smart stethoscope were twice as likely to be diagnosed with heart failure, in a study involving more than 200 GP surgeries. The stethoscope also helped to detect atrial fibrillation and heart valve disease.
Patients with abnormal readings could more quickly be started on treatment and sent for heart tests to confirm if they have a heart condition. If smart stethoscopes can provide earlier diagnosis, that could mean fewer people finding out they have heart conditions for the first time after being rushed to A&E.
Patients with abnormal readings could
more quickly be started on treatment
and sent for heart tests to confirm
if they have a heart condition.
Painless cheek swabs take two minutes
A cheek swab test, being developed with BHF funding, could diagnose a dangerous heart condition in children earlier. ACM is responsible for more than 10% of sudden cardiac deaths in children.1
It involves abnormalities in proteins within the heart, which are mirrored in the lining of the cheeks.
Researchers at City St George’s, University of London, led by Dr Angeliki Asimaki, and Great Ormond Street Hospital, recruited 51 young people with a known genetic predisposition to ACM. Among 10 who went on to develop the heart condition, eight showed abnormalities in a cheek swab before changes appeared in other medical tests.
The swab test could identify children in the early stages of ACM who might need extra monitoring and treatment, while providing reassurance to other at-risk children and their families.
[1] City St George’s, University of London. 2025. A cheek swab test could identify children with potentially deadly heart condition.
