Eko Devices continues to upgrade its cardiopulmonary digital health technology. We first wrote about Eko in 2018 when the Oakland, California-based company collaborated with the Mayo Clinic to develop a tool for physician’s use in screening for low ejection fraction. Eko’s handheld, one-lead ECG Duo digital stethoscope worked with a jointly developed algorithm. The FDA designated the Eko Duo as a Breakthrough Device in 2019, which enabled relatively fast FDA clearance in 2020. More recently, in August 2021, Eko announced the next generation Duo. The newest version of the Duo platform has FDA-cleared deep learning algorithms for physician use in non-clinical settings.
Physicians can use the Duo in clinical environments, but the focus is in other settings such as residential care facilities, mobile clinics, or patient homes. According to a peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the Duo’s deep learning AI detected heart murmurs and clinically significant aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation at a level comparable to expert cardiologists. The FDA previously cleared the Duo for detecting atrial fibrillation at an expert level.
The Eko Duo digital stethoscope gives physicians in community outreach programs a powerful tool for early detection of the signs of heart disease. The accuracy and the speed of the information retrieval saves time and money for initial screening, periodic monitoring, and treatment evaluation. Even in times without the threat of viral pandemics, when many people are hesitant to enter healthcare facilities, the Duo enables medical professionals to reach patient populations in remote areas with no convenient clinics.
