A new study conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa has demonstrated that Eko’s AI-powered stethoscope can detect heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) at a specialist level, even in resource-limited settings. The DAMSUN-HF (Detection and Management of Heart Failure with SENSORA in Underserved Nations – Heart Failure) study, published in Circulation and presented as a Late-Breaking Clinical Trial at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, shows that AI-assisted auscultation using Eko’s SENSORA platform can identify patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 40% or less with 97% sensitivity and 94% negative predictive value, and 76% specificity. The prospective, multi-center study involved 115 adult patients with cardiopulmonary symptoms across district clinics and tertiary hospitals in Ghana. Participants were evaluated using the Eko AI tool, which analyzes heart sounds, and results were compared to blinded transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), the gold standard for measuring ejection fraction. The AI model performed consistently across age and sex groups, indicating reliable performance in diverse populations. Beyond diagnostic accuracy, the study evaluated the real-world feasibility of integrating AI into Ghana’s existing hub-and-spoke healthcare system. Over 95% of patients completed all steps from initial screening in community clinics to specialist review within the study timeline. More than 90% of cases flagged by the AI were reviewed by a cardiologist within 48 hours, highlighting the system’s ability to support rapid triage and care without requiring on-site echocardiography. Alexis K. Okoh, MD, Executive Chairman of the G-ACT Foundation and a non-invasive cardiologist, praised the study as a breakthrough in addressing the global challenge of implementation deficiency in cardiology. “DAMSUN-HF not only validates AI-enabled auscultation in Africa, it paves the way for a future where every heartbeat, no matter where it starts, has an equal chance to be heard,” he said. Connor Landgraf, Co-Founder and CEO of Eko Health, emphasized the potential of the technology to transform care in underserved areas. “When a community health worker or nurse can identify a patient at risk for HFrEF in seconds, they can act faster and save lives—especially in regions where access to echocardiography and cardiologists is limited,” he said. The study was supported by the G-ACT Foundation and conducted in collaboration with Eko Health under the oversight of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Institutional Review Board. It demonstrates a scalable, cloud-connected model that links frontline clinics to specialist centers, enabling timely diagnosis and treatment. Eko Health, based in Emeryville, California, develops AI-powered digital stethoscopes, ECG devices, and software to help clinicians detect and manage heart and lung diseases earlier. Its FDA-cleared platform has been deployed in over 650,000 devices worldwide. The G-ACT Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to cardiovascular care through innovation and implementation research.