Eko, the maker of devices and platforms for monitoring heart function, has announced the rollout of a second version of its CORE stethoscope that includes noise canceling capabilities and a sound amplifying feature. 

Customers can buy the product as a digital attachment or an assembled stethoscope. The latest version will include a wireless connection to Eko’s software and a 10-hour battery. On the software side, the tech can save recordings that range from 15 seconds to 120 seconds. Clinicians will also be able to view waveforms and phonocardiograms. 

The company also noted that it will eventually include the FDA-pending screening algorithm, which was developed to analyze heart sounds for pathological murmurs and valvular heart disease. 

WHY IT MATTERS

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, according to the CDC. Eko is pitching its latest its tool as a better tech-enabled way to screen for cardiac and pulmonary conditions. 

“The better we can hear and the better we can screen, the better we can care for our patients,” Dr. Steve Pham, VP of clinical research at Eko and an emergency medicine physician, said in a statement. “The CORE, coupled with Eko’s software, helps convert the device already worn around the neck of 30 million clinicians around the world into a powerful cardiopulmonary screening tool.” 

THE LARGER TREND

Eko has making moves in the cardio care delivery space for sometime. Most recently it announced a $20 million Series B funding round led by ARTIS Ventures. 

It has also made deals with big names in the industry. In 2018 it made a deal with the Mayo Clinic to develop a new product that will employ machine learning and a digital stethoscope to assist doctors in detecting potentially dangerous heart conditions. 

But this isn’t the only digital stethoscope on the market. In 2018 Steth IO launch of its smartphone-based digital stethoscope, which is built directly into the protective case of a physician’s iPhone (models 6 and higher), allowing them to listen to and measure heart rates or lung sounds by running an app and holding the phone up to a patient’s chest. 

ON THE RECORD 

“When heart and lung sounds are amplified in the screening of heart valve and pulmonary diseases, everything changes,” Connor Landgraf, cofounder and CEO of Eko, said in a statement. “Our mission at Eko continues to be to enable all healthcare professionals to provide the highest level of cardiac care through non-invasive, reliable products. The redesigned CORE puts the ears of a trained cardiologist in the hands of any doctor or nurse.”