Beat this: Eko Core digitises heartbeats

Device company adds digital dimension to stethoscope

Eko is running a pilot with Stanford Hospital, where all residents will be using the Eko Core device as a training tool. The company has also released the device to be purchased by the public.

What does it do?

Eko Core allows doctor to see heartbeats in wave form on a mobile device as well as hear the sound at an amplified level. Both the visible and audible data can be recorded and shared between physicians and hospitals. This can take a lot of the guesswork out of detecting murmurs, valve problems, and blockages in the arteries.

Why what was behind its development?

A member of Eko Devices was diagnosed with a heart murmur as a child. This experience was behind the decision to develop a tool that would increase the diagnostic accuracy of clinicians and support them in differentiating between innocent and pathologic heart murmurs at the point of care in order to avoid unnecessary referrals, anxiety, and expensive screenings.

Though stethoscopes are used by over 20 million clinicians around the world as the first line of detection and diagnosis of heart murmurs and abnormal heart sounds, the 200-year-old analog tool underutilizes even the most basic digital technology. The Eko Core was developed to address a specific clinical need for a wireless, digital, and smartphone-connected stethoscope that would simplify cardiac and pulmonary monitoring for clinicians around the world.

What do we need to know about the company?

Eko Devices says it is aiming develop a healthcare experience that is actionable, mobile and delightful for future clinicians and consumers.

The company is building a modern medical toolkit of smart devices that will allow the US healthcare system to transition from a service-based ‘sickcare’ model to one that incentivises quality outcomes and preventative care.