Who will love this:
Any healthcare professional or healthcare student in training who relies on a stethoscope to listen to heart, lung, and belly sounds will love the Eko Core stethoscope which drastically improves upon the traditional stethoscope by amplifying what you want to hear and actively noise canceling what you don’t.
What I think:
The Unboxing:
When I unboxed the Eko Core Stethoscope, I couldn’t help but feel like I was unboxing a product from Apple, and I’m not going to lie, that kind of got me excited.
Comparisons to Apple are easy to draw. The box is all white with minimalistic text and images. Even the font looks like something Apple would use.
Inside the box, the instructions are contained in a single trifold sheet. Simple and easy. You will also find a USB charging cable, some extra earbud/tips, and an additional bell.
The Feel:
The stethoscope itself feels very well made. I worried that the Eko Core stethoscope would be too heavy with all the electronic gadgetry inside, but coming in at 7.2 ounces (204 grams), the stethoscope feels noticeably heavier but not too heavy for everyday use.
For comparison, the Littmann Cardiology stethoscope weights 6.2 oz (177 g) and comes with no electronic gadgetry.
The stethoscope feels good to hold. While the core electronic components are near the chest piece, the stethoscope did not feel unbalanced or bulky. This is important if you work in a busy environment.
The Controls:
Continuing the Apple theme, the controls on the Eko Core are also minimalistic, which is greatly appreciated. I’m glad and relieved that there are basically 4 big easy to identify and use buttons on the Eko Core and not a mass of intimidating buttons and labels and no distracting digital screen.
Even those unfamiliar with the device will quickly figure out how to turn on the Eko Core with its toggle on/off switch and adjusting the volume is also extremely easy to do.
The Performance:
I first tested the Eko Core with the electronic device turned off, essentially using it as a traditional analog stethoscope. The stethoscope performed admirably. When compared to other traditional stethoscopes, the sound quality is comparable.
The Eko Core Stethoscope is certainly a good stethoscope even when not using the acoustic enhancements. This is important if you ever find your stethoscope out of charge but a schedule full of patients to see that day.
When I toggled the Eko Core Stethoscope into the on position, it was one of those enlightening experiences similar to when I got my first iPod. While listening to music was a fine experience with my Walkman CD player, my first iPod transformed the entire experience for me.
The Eko Core does something similar and makes listening to heart, lung, belly, and bruit sounds so much more audibly and clear. I had to wonder to myself why it took so long for something like this to come around.
I found it easier to listen to and identify sounds even in noisy environments using the Eko Core.
The auto-off feature on the stethoscope is a battery saver which I relied on heavily as I often forget to turn off my gadgets. I found the toggle on/off switch to be very easy to find and use without distracting me or the patient as I listened to heart and lung sounds.
The noise cancelation is especially helpful for anyone who works in a busy and noisy environment. I did hope that the noise cancelation would be better at canceling out unwanted noises from clothing and movement against the stethoscope tubing but there is only so much technology can do at this point.
Being able to adjust the volume of the heart and lung sounds easily with the big buttons can make using the Eko Core stethoscope fun, effective, and safer for you and for patients.
Battery performance was better than I expected. Given the number of times I forgot to turn off the stethoscope, I was expecting a few days use out of single charge. Instead, I could go a week without a charge and it was still good to go.
I love that the Eko Core is rechargeable via a simple USB cable. If this used disposable batteries, that would be a deal breaker for me. Trying to find batteries when I need them most is a pain.
The App
Downloading the app onto my phone was easy. Ironically, despite my Apple references in this review, I use a Samsung Android phone and downloaded the app from Google’s Play Store. I can’t speak about the iPhone experience here.
The app is clean and simple, but it does require you to create a log in to use. I’m not a huge fan of signing up for stuff and wish I could just use the stethoscope connected to the app without having to create a profile but the company needs to track its customers and there are HIPPA and other privacy considerations whenever there is recording of patient information.
I mention recording patient information because through the app you can record patient sounds and have a log so that you can compare the physical exam findings from one visit to another. You can also share the sounds with others for a quick consultation.
Not working in a teaching environment, I have yet to find a use for the app. It was fun to play around with, but I have not incorporated it into my every day work flow. Should this change, I will update this review accordingly.
Just perusing the app reviews, it looks like the connection between the phone and the stethoscope via bluetooth can be unstable but again, I will need more time to play around with this feature.
Where this could really excel:
In a COVID world:
I see that people are reporting “the ability to use the app in place of traditional stethoscope ear pieces so that PPE can be undisrupted.” This is a great option!
You can actually disconnect the stethoscope tubing so that you don’t have to bring the entire stethoscope into the room. If you have your Airpods on under your PPE, and your Eko connected to your phone app, you’ll be able to listen to heart and lung sounds just using the chest piece connected to the Eko Core digital attachment.
The hearing impaired:
Those with hearing impairments can increase the volume or they can even connect their hearing aids to their phone to listen to the heart and lung sounds via the app. This unlocks new abilities for those with hearing difficulties.
The Flaws:
The noise cancelation is good for eliminating some environmental noise but it is not the quality of noise reduction you get from high quality headphones. Noise from clothing or skin rubbing against the stethoscope will not be canceled.
Because the end piece of the Eko Core is less flexible than traditional stethoscopes you may find putting your stethoscope in your white coat pocket a little awkward.
The stethoscope is well made and works very well but the connection with the app could be more robust and automatic. While this review is of the Eko Core Stethoscope itself and not the app, I see that the app has much room for improvement but since I don’t use the app much I can’t comment on that.
While testing the Eko Core at maximum volumes, I noticed a little buzz of feedback. This was only at the highest volumes and was not noticeable to me at normal everyday volumes.
Final Thoughts:
The digital option is a pretty amazing over traditional analog stethoscopes. Stethoscopes can become like old friends and some may find the fit, feel or sound of the Eko Core different from their tested and familiar Littmann stethoscope.
If that’s the case, you can consider just getting the digital component which is available for sale here lets you upgrade your existing stethoscope into the future by simply attaching the digital component to your existing stethoscope.
I really enjoyed this Eko Core Stethoscope and it has replaced my stethoscope from medical school. I’ve let other physicians borrow and use it and they all have had great things to say about it.
The price point is just a little more than the high end Littmann stethoscopes but it offers so much more. I recommend getting the Eko Core Digital/Analog Stethoscope.