Digital stethoscopes and AI may improve valve disease detection
Dr. Philippe Pibarot is leading the study comparing the detection of heart murmurs using digital and conventional stethoscopes.
Canadian researchers are conducting a study to determine if digital stethoscopes and artificial intelligence can more accurately detect heart murmurs than traditional stethoscopes. If so, this could help improve early detection of heart valve disease. A heart murmur may indicate valve disease, which affects one million Canadians and is rising as the population ages.
Although valve disease is common, serious and treatable, it is often undetected, detected late or treated late. That’s a significant problem, says Dr. Philippe Pibarot, who is leading the study. He is also the Director of Cardiology Research at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute – Laval University, and the Canada Research Chair in Valvular Heart Diseases at Laval University. Because valve disease is under-detected, patients are often only diagnosed at an advanced stage or not at all, resulting in avoidable deaths, compromised quality of life and high health care costs.
Study lead Philippe Pibarot, Director of Cardiology Research at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute — Laval University.
High-tech tools may improve early detection and ease health system pressures
As part of the study, researchers are collecting data from several thousand participants at community stethoscope events being organized across the country. “We hope that these digital stethoscopes will help us improve detection of heart valve disease, ease the burden on primary health care providers, and improve patient outcomes,” says Dr. Pibarot, also a clinical board member at Heart Valve Voice Canada (HVVC). The digital stethoscope records heart sounds that are uploaded to a smartphone or tablet and analyzed by AI. “These digital tools are very powerful, and they can detect even very tiny murmurs,” he says, adding that the human ear is often not able to detect the patterns that the AI program can. “And the machine may be better [at detection] than a physician.”
Digital detection tools may help remove barriers to accessing heart health care
Digital detection could remove health care barriers for many Canadians who don’t have a family doctor, as well as rural, First Nation and other underserved populations. If Dr. Pibarot’s hypothesis proves to be true—that digital technologies are significantly better at detecting heart valve disease—digital stethoscopes could find a place in accessible community settings. As he points out, the goal is “efficient, widescale, low-cost screening for valvular disease and other cardiovascular disease.” Unlike traditional stethoscopes, which require expertise to use, digital stethoscope technology may have the future potential to be self-administered the same way anyone can test their blood pressure at a pharmacy. “You don’t need to be an expert to use a digital stethoscope; the smartphone application will guide you and tell you the result after a few seconds,” says Dr. Pibarot.
A stethoscope check is the first step in detecting valve disease
When the heart is working normally, blood flows from one heart chamber to the next, moving through valves that open and close. If a valve isn’t working properly, the blood flow is affected, creating a whooshing or swishing sound—known as a heart murmur—which is detected by a healthcare professional using a stethoscope. Some murmurs are harmless; others may indicate valve disease. Unfortunately, getting a stethoscope check isn’t easy: many Canadians don’t have physicians; others do but aren’t receiving a regular stethoscope check. Recent research shows that only 38% of Canadians over 50 receive a stethoscope check at every visit.
Thousands of Canadians may not know they have valve disease
One motivation for improving detection: many people have undiagnosed valve disease. Valve disease can be asymptomatic; it may also come with vague symptoms like fatigue or dizziness, which are often dismissed as “normal” signs of aging. At a stethoscope event in Quebec City in February 2025, 150 people lined up for a free stethoscope check at a local shopping mall. Of those screened, 28 heart murmurs were detected; seven people were found to have advanced heart valve disease. They were walking around without knowing they had valve disease, yet it was severe.
Research events will offer Canadians a free stethoscope check in the community
HVVC is spreading the word about this study on our mission to improve early detection and better outcomes for Canadians affected by valve disease. Teams of cardiologists will be conducting this research at our flagship stethoscope events supporting our two campaigns: Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day (February 22) and Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week (the third week in September). Facilitating integration of digital and remote technologies was recommended for improving patient outcomes in our report Heart Valve Disease: Working Together to Create a Better Patient Journey.