Assessment of remote digital auscultation for identifying significant aortic stenosis: A pilot study - 14/12/25
Graphical abstract |
Highlights |
• | The TytoCare™ stethoscope enabled remote identification of significant AS. |
• | Diagnostic performance was high among cardiologists and non-cardiologists. |
• | Older patients successfully self-operated TytoCare™ after brief instruction. |
• | TytoCare™ is user-friendly, reliable tool for remote screening and monitoring of AS. |
Abstract |
Background |
Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular disease in the Western world. Technological advances, such as the TytoCare™ device, have introduced remote telemedicine-based cardiac auscultation. Its utility in diagnosing and grading AS remains unexplored. This study aims to evaluate the reliability of the TytoCare™ for assessing AS.
Methods |
Sixty patients were classified by standard echocardiogram into three groups: significant AS (at least moderate AS; n = 20), non-significant AS (aortic sclerosis or mild AS; n = 20) and controls ( n = 20). Heart sounds were self-recorded using the TytoCare™ stethoscope. Fifteen blinded physicians – five each from primary care, internal medicine and cardiology – reviewed the recordings using standardized equipment and assigned diagnoses based on a categorical scale: 0 = insufficient data, 1 = normal, 2 = mild AS and 3 = at least moderate AS.
Results |
The study groups had comparable baseline characteristics, with a mean ± standard deviation age of 72.6 ± 9.1 years. The correct response rate for significant AS was 85% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 80–88%), with both cardiologists and non-cardiologists achieving ≥ 80%. In contrast, performance declined in non-significant AS (57%, 95% CI: 51–62%), but remained high in the control group (87%, 95% CI: 82–90%). Cardiologists outperformed other physicians, overall ( P = 0.029) and in significant AS cases ( P = 0.022), while no significant differences were found among non-cardiologists.
Conclusions |
TytoCare™ demonstrated high reliability in the remote assessment of significant AS by both cardiologists and non-cardiologists. Its intuitive and user-friendly design enables self-application, even among older populations, emphasizing its potential as an effective screening tool for AS across diverse healthcare settings.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Keywords : Aortic stenosis, Remote auscultation, Telemedicine, TytoCare™
Plan
Vol 118 - N° 12
P. 636-642 - décembre 2025 Retour au numéroBienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
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