This project will develop an AI algorithm which can be imported into a stethoscope to make it capable of automatically diagnosing any valve disease present and its severity. This will help GPs produce more accurate diagnoses, reduce costs by having fewer unnecessary referrals for echocardiogram, and produce more accurate diagnoses in countries where echocardiograms are not readily available due to their cost. Using a small sample of data as well as some which has been labelled by clinician auscultation, the team has created an award-winning AI algorithm capable of accurate detection of heart murmurs. However, in order to improve the accuracy and capability of this system more heart sound recordings from a range of diseases (matched with echocardiogram diagnosis) are required. The key to the success of this study will be to produce an AI algorithm that is more accurate than different grades of doctors at detecting the specific abnormality and severity underlying a heart murmur. This methodology will also provide a comprehensive study on acoustic characteristics of different heart sounds. So far all the acoustic characteristics of heart sounds taught to medical students are based on subjective opinion. This study will be able to objectively analyse these acoustic characteristics.

