FDA clears AI algorithms for Eko’s digital stethoscope
Eko has received FDA clearance for AI algorithms that identify signs of heart murmurs and atrial fibrillation (AFib) during a routine physical exam. Providers can take advantage of these newly cleared algorithms by using Eko’s digital stethoscopes.
“Our vision since day one has been to build seamless technology that helps providers more accurately detect heart disease, the leading killer in the world, by putting the ears of a cardiologist in any clinician’s stethoscope,“ Connor Landgraf, Eko’s co-founder and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “Eko’s new ability to alert a provider to the presence of a heart murmur or atrial fibrillation during the standard physical exam brings that vision to life.”
“Two centuries after its invention, the stethoscope is still the front line tool to detect cardiovascular disease,” Patrick McCarthy, MD, a member of Eko’s scientific advisory board and executive director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine, said in the same statement. “Eko’s development of artificial intelligence algorithms to help clinicians better interpret sounds, identify arrhythmias and detect heart murmurs during a physical exam is going to make a huge difference in our ability to care for patients.”
The heart murmur screening algorithm has achieved a sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 87%, according to Eko. The AFib screening algorithm, meanwhile, has achieved a sensitivity of 99% and specificity of 97%.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.