What You Should Know:
– Researchers from the G-ACT Foundation and Eko Health have announced groundbreaking results from the DAMSUN-HF (Detection and Management of Heart Failure with SENSORA in Underserved Nations) study.
– The prospective validation study demonstrated that AI-enabled digital auscultation can effectively identify Heart Failure with reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) in patients who lack access to traditional echocardiography.
AI-Enabled Auscultation Achieves Near-Imaging Precision
The study, which was simultaneously published in Circulation and presented as a Late-Breaking Clinical Trial at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions , found that Eko’s Low EF AI achieved near-imaging precision:
- Sensitivity: 97%
- Negative Predictive Value (NPV): 94%
- Specificity: 76%
This performance, which remained strong across different sex and age groups, proves that a simple digital stethoscope guided by AI can spot reduced ejection fraction.
A Real-World Model for Equitable Cardiac Detection in Africa
The DAMSUN-HF study provides a tangible, scalable model for integrating specialist-level cardiac detection where resources are scarce. Conducted across Ghana’s national hub-and-spoke healthcare system, the study focused on real-world integration, linking community clinics to tertiary centers via cloud-based data flow and rapid specialist review.
The results show remarkable operational success:
- High Completion Rate: 95% of participants completed every step, from community screening to cardiologist review.
- Rapid Triage: Over 90% of AI-flagged cases were reviewed by a cardiologist within 48 hours.
This success demonstrates that AI-powered auscultation can be embedded into existing care pathways without dependence on advanced imaging infrastructure.
Bridging the Divide Between Innovation and Inclusion
The study directly confronts the global cardiology challenge of “implementation deficiency”. In an era where many cardiovascular AI breakthroughs remain confined to data-rich hospitals, DAMSUN-HF validates a solution for infrastructure-limited settings in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Connor Landgraf, Co-Founder and CEO of Eko Health, explained the practical impact: “When a frontline nurse or community health worker can identify patients at risk for reduced ejection fraction heart failure within seconds, health professionals can triage earlier and act faster in regions where echocardiography and cardiology resources are limited.”
