TRICORDER-PLUS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
TRICORDER-PLUS: Triple Cardiovascular Disease Detection with an Artificial Intelligence-enabled Stethoscope – Evaluation of a Targeted Screening Programme
IRAS ID
348375
Contact name
Saloni Nakhare
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
--Background—
Alarmingly, current mortality for heart failure (HF) is comparable 1999, suggesting a substantial reversal in the progress made in diagnosis and treatment over the past two decades. For over 70% of patients in the UK, HF is diagnosed late, during an emergency hospital admission. This results in poorer outcomes for patients, and at a substantially increased cost to the National Health Service (NHS), compared with those who are diagnosed in the community, via their GP.
The implementation of a screening programme to identify patients at risk of HF has been challenging due to the lack of inexpensive and specific tests for patients; and more broadly due to the historically high bar set by the UK’s National Screening Programme (NSC) holistic and detailed criteria for any new general screening programme. In 2022, the NSC has expanded its functions to actively consider targeted screening for high-risk groups, and stratified screening that is more tailored to individual risk.--TRICORDER-PLUS study—
TRICORDER-PLUS is a joint direct-care clinical screening programme operating in NHS primary care practices. Underpinned by established clinical guidelines, the primary care clinical leadership at GP practices are deploying the AI stethoscope in primary care for direct care (all within its CE/UKCA-marked purpose) in the context of a targeted screening programme for HF. In support of this, Imperial College London is the evaluation partner and has a supply of AI stethoscopes that are being donated to primary care practices for public health benefit. Due to limited supply, the TRICORDER-PLUS programme involves cluster randomisation – essentially a lottery element – where practices wishing to conduct this direct care programme have a 50% chance of receiving the AI stethoscope to support their existing care programme. This study is an evaluation of the NHS primary care targeted screening programme at these sites, informed by NSC criteria.REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0270
Date of REC Opinion
9 Apr 2025
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion