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Eko Core is a new device which can be attached to stethoscopes to record the heart beat and visualise it in wave form. With the accompanying app the data files are automatically transferred to the cloud and saved into the patient’s electronic health record. The application was recently approved by the FDA and is available in the US.

The device developed by Eko Devices will assist doctors to recognise and diagnose heart problems. “It’s incredibly challenging to hear a minute heart murmur, especially in patients with high heart rates,” says co-founder Connor Landgraf. “Cardiologists say it’s almost like a musical ear, it’s something that you have to learn over five or ten years of practice.” Eko Core enables doctors to repeatedly listen to and inspect the rhythm on screen.

The application is not only useful for cardiologists, but may also assist physicians. “Physicians often don’t have confidence in their ability to use the stethoscope so they frequently refer people to cardiologists when it’s not necessary”, Landgraf says. Additionally, doctors can easily share the recordings with colleges for a second opinion.

The company is releasing the device to the US public for $199. Over the next few months, the team will be continuing to develop an algorithm that analyzes the data collected by all Eko devices in order to match heartbeats to conditions in real-time. This extension will presumably be launched in the beginning of next year.

Sources: Eko devices, The crunch

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