In the quiet between heartbeats, valvular disorders often go unheard, until it is too late. Many older adults feel simply fine, even as something serious may be developing. And during a routine checkup, even the most experienced physicians might not hear it coming.
Valvular heart disease is a growing global health issue, according to a recent study causing more heart-related illness and death than ever before and its most common type affects around 41 million people worldwide.
These conditions can progress silently, hidden beneath the limits of human hearing. But with Sanolla’s VoqX smart stethoscope, doctors are now listening differently and detecting what used to be missed. Backed by a new clinical study, VoqX is giving physicians and caregivers the power to catch heart disease before it speaks in symptoms.
Sanolla’s smart stethoscope does not rely on human hearing alone. It listens deeper, capturing body sounds, even infrasounds, that are simply beyond the range of our ears. And it uses AI-powered analysis to help detect potential problems.
This is supported by a recent clinical study, conducted by Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest healthcare organization, and Edwards Lifesciences, a leading American structural heart innovation.
The experiment followed 940 seniors over age 65, none of whom had known heart conditions. Doctors using regular stethoscopes found 19 people with potential valvular disease. But with VoqX? An additional 31 cases were diagnosed.
Follow-up tests confirmed 45 cases in total. VoqX achieved a remarkable 90 percent diagnostic accuracy, with 2.4 times the detection rate of traditional stethoscopes.
“When in doubt with the regular stethoscope, I use the smart one,” concluded Dr. Mordechai Alpern, a senior researcher in the study and an emergency physician at Galilee Medical Center. “The earlier we catch heart disease, the more lives we can save.”
One of the biggest gains is detecting aortic stenosis, condition that can quietly worsen until it’s too late. VoqX spotted more than twice as many cases compared to standard exams.
For caregivers and doctors alike, early detection can save lives, and better tools make that possible. Even the most skilled physicians can miss subtle signs, because sometimes, the problem is simply out of hearing range.