Berkeley Start-ups

Stethoscope Gets Smart

Posted March 2nd, 2015 @ 4:50pm in #digital stethoscope

by Tamra Teig

A Berkeley start-up founded by three young upstarts claims to having created the “world’s smartest stethoscope.” Eko Devices was founded at UC Berkeley in 2013, by Connor Landgraf, 24, Tyler Crouch, 22, and Jason Bellet, 22–being named one of this year’s Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in healthcare certainly gives credence to their claim. 

Considering that the stethoscope was first invented almost 200 years ago and has remained virtually unchanged for well over a century, Eko Devices’ developments are truly revolutionary.

Re-engineering the Icon of Medicine

The Eko Core is a digital device that attaches to a regular stethoscope, allowing medical practitioners to visualize, record, play back, share and analyze heart sounds. The device is linked via Bluetooth, through Eko’s smartphone app and HIPAA-compliant web portal, to an array of cloud-based digital tools. They enable clinicians to analyze heartbeats, access audio visualization, attach heart sound reports and recordings to most major Electronic Health Records, and securely store the digitized cardiac information.

This integrated information network enables more accurate diagnoses and improved patient care collaboration.

The Eko Electronic Stethoscope has not been yet been reviewed by the FDA. Release is expected spring 2015.