Mayo clinic-Eko collaboration to build digital stethoscope to detect heart conditions
Mayo clinic and Eko have teamed up for developing a digital stethoscope that will help doctors screen patients to detect their heart conditions.
Mayo clinic has come together with the Eko, a big name in the industry of monitoring heart and lung functions, for developing a device that can detect heart and lung condition and alert in advance regarding any cardiovascular problems. Mayo Clinic is a Minnesota-based company, and Eko is a California-based firm that has joined hands for helping physician diagnosis potentially dangerous cardiovascular diseases.
The device known as the digital stethoscope is built to determine a weak heart pump by placing the stethoscope on the patient’s chest for seconds. This way a general health advisor would be able to detect any heart function abnormalities very early with the help of the tool. The main point is that the device is very easy to use, and can be used by any healthcare provider just like the normal stethoscope.
This technology is based on the Mayo Clinic’s vast database regarding cardiovascular problems and their expertise in the field along with Eko’s expertise in monitoring heart and lungs.
This machine helps in screening low ejection fraction (a weak heart pump). They are now up for clinical trials before submitting it for the FDA clearance.
The ejection fraction is traditionally measured using imaging techniques like echocardiography. This is a powerful technique but is very expensive and also time-consuming, and so is accessible to very fewer people. The digital stethoscope makes this part easy by letting even the general physician have it and help his/her patients with this technology.
The spokesperson from the Mayo Clinic said that their aim is to let every physician have this stethoscope in their pockets and every nurse has it with her. This way anyone with a basic knowledge can tell if the heart pump is weak by just putting the stethoscope on the person’s chest for some seconds.
This will help many people around the world as they will be having direct access to this device by just visiting the doctor. It is estimated that more than 600,000 people die each year because of heart problems and is also one of the leading causes of death in the US. This new technology can help prevent this by letting the physician know right at the start about any potentially dangerous heart disease.
Recently, it was seen many other such types of research and applications coming forward in the healthcare sector. The growing problem of heart diseases has let the healthcare companies take a special interest in devices helping to gauge heart problems.
Google also has jumped in this field by stating that they have developed an AI that can predict heart diseases by scanning retina.
Similarly, the Washington based company Steth IO also launched a smartphone-based digital stethoscope that allows doctors to listen to the heartbeats through their iPhones. This app also lets the doctors visualize the human heart and helping the doctors know the problem.
Image credit: www.medgadget.com
