Eko Health is a digital health technology brand focused on improving how heart and lung conditions are identified during routine clinical exams.
Instead of relying solely on traditional acoustic listening, it integrates digital hardware with software-based analysis to support more detailed cardiopulmonary assessment.
The brand centers its approach on enhancing auscultation by making subtle sounds easier to hear, record, visualize, and interpret within modern care settings.
In this review, you will explore the brand’s product offerings in detail, examine where its technology may offer practical advantages, and assess how the brand is positioned within the broader digital health landscape.
The review will also consider brand reputation, including professional adoption and feedback, alongside consumer and clinician reviews to provide a balanced perspective on real-world use and expectations.
About Eko Health
As per the official website, Eko Health centers its work on enabling earlier identification of cardiopulmonary conditions during routine physical exams, across both in-person and virtual care settings. Its scope remains deliberately narrow, concentrating on auscultation and point-of-care cardiac assessment rather than broad medical device categories.
The brand operates across interconnected categories that include digital stethoscopes, ECG-enabled diagnostic hardware, FDA-cleared AI software, and cloud-based clinical tools. Its device portfolio includes the CORE digital stethoscope line, the CORE 500 with an integrated display and 3-lead ECG, and the DUO ECG + Digital Stethoscope, which combines auscultation with single-lead ECG recording. Through a partnership with 3M, it also offers the Littmann CORE Digital Stethoscope, integrating traditional stethoscope design with digital sound enhancement and noise reduction.
According to the official site, Eko’s software layer supports real-time analysis of heart sounds and ECG data. FDA-cleared algorithms identify indicators such as murmurs, atrial fibrillation, and low ejection fraction during the exam, with results available within seconds. These insights are accessed through the brand’s mobile app and web dashboard, where exam recordings can be stored securely, reviewed over time, shared for collaboration, and integrated into existing EMR systems.
Eko Health Offerings
Eko CORE 500™ Digital Stethoscope
Eko CORE 500™ Digital Stethoscope integrates acoustic auscultation with electrical cardiac signal capture to support routine and advanced cardiovascular assessments. The device combines a digital chestpiece, embedded electrodes, onboard processing, and optional cloud connectivity to capture, display, and store physiological signals during an exam.
As per the official website, the CORE 500™ uses a single-sided chestpiece with three evenly spaced electrodes to collect 3-lead ECG data alongside heart and lung sounds. ECG electrodes detect the small electrical potentials generated by depolarization and repolarization of cardiac muscle fibers. Capturing these signals across multiple leads provides a broader spatial view of cardiac electrical activity, which can help differentiate rhythm irregularities from normal conduction patterns during point-of-care evaluations.
Its TrueSound™ technology in the device applies active noise cancellation and digital signal amplification of up to 40×. The device also features a full-color LCD that presents real-time waveform visualizations, 1-lead ECG traces, exam details, and device settings directly on the stethoscope. Visual waveforms help correlate with audible findings with electrical or acoustic timing, supporting faster pattern recognition during auscultation without constant reliance on a secondary device.
According to the official website, the CORE 500™ Digital Stethoscope features a silicone diaphragm that provides flexibility and consistent contact with the body, which helps transmit low-frequency vibrations efficiently. Silicone ear tips create an acoustic seal while minimizing pressure-related discomfort during extended use. The anodized aluminum headset contributes structural strength and corrosion resistance, supporting repeated cleaning in clinical environments.
3M™ Littmann® CORE Digital Stethoscope
As per the makers, the 3M™ Littmann® CORE Digital Stethoscope combines a traditional acoustic stethoscope platform with a digital amplification and visualization module. It is a Cardiology IV™ stethoscope pre-assembled with the Eko CORE™ Digital Attachment, allowing you to switch between analog auscultation and digitally enhanced listening during routine physical exams.
Auscultation relies on detecting low-frequency mechanical vibrations generated by physiological events such as heart valve closure, blood flow turbulence, and airflow through the lungs. The Littmann CORE supports both analog mode, which transmits sound mechanically through the chestpiece and tubing, and amplified mode, which converts acoustic vibrations into electrical signals. These signals are digitally processed and amplified up to 40×, helping preserve subtle sounds such as soft murmurs or faint breath sounds that may otherwise fall below auditory thresholds in noisy environments.
The device uses active noise cancellation to reduce external acoustic interference. This works by identifying ambient sound frequencies and electronically suppressing them while maintaining the frequency ranges associated with heart and lung sounds.
A tunable diaphragm allows you to adjust pressure on the chestpiece to emphasize different frequency bands. Light pressure enhances lower-frequency sounds such as certain heart murmurs, while firmer pressure brings out higher-frequency components like breath sounds.
When paired with the Eko App, the stethoscope provides real-time waveform visualization, wireless audio streaming, and single-sound recording. Visual waveforms represent acoustic signal amplitude over time, which can help correlate audible findings with cardiac or respiratory cycles.
Eko CORE™ Digital Attachment
The CORE™ Digital Attachment is a clip-on digital module that helps extend the functional capabilities of a traditional acoustic stethoscope. It integrates directly into the sound pathway, converting mechanical vibrations from the chestpiece into digitally processed signals. This allows conventional auscultation to be supplemented with amplification, noise reduction, and optional software-based analysis.
In analog mode, these vibrations pass through the stethoscope tubing unchanged. In amplified mode, the CORE attachment detects these vibrations and gets them converted into electrical signals, which are later amplified up to 40×.
As per the official website, the CORE attachment is Bluetooth-enabled, allowing real-time wireless listening and waveform visualization through compatible software. Waveforms provide a visual representation of sound amplitude over time, which can help correlate audible findings with physiological cycles such as systole, diastole, or respiratory phases.
The housing is made from polycarbonate thermoplastic, chosen for its impact resistance, lightweight structure, and electrical insulation properties. These characteristics help protect internal electronics while maintaining portability. The device does not contain natural rubber latex or phthalate plasticizers, reducing the risk of material-related sensitivities during repeated clinical use.
The brand highlights that the Eko CORE™ Digital Attachment is compatible with many adult and pediatric stethoscopes from brands such as 3M™ Littmann®, ADC, Welch Allyn, MDF, and Medline.
Eko Health Advantages
Clinical Trust–First Brand Ethos
Eko Health positions its brand around a clinical trust–first ethos by grounding its technology in regulatory clearance, peer-reviewed validation, and real-world clinical use, rather than consumer wellness claims. A central element of this approach is Eko’s emphasis on FDA-cleared medical devices and algorithms, signaling that its products are evaluated against formal regulatory standards required for clinical deployment in healthcare settings.
Clinical validation plays a prominent role in supporting this trust-based positioning. The brand frequently references peer-reviewed research, including studies published in leading medical journals, including The Lancet, that examine how digital auscultation and AI-supported analysis may improve the detection of cardiac conditions compared with traditional acoustic listening alone. These studies are used to support claims that Eko’s technology can enhance auscultation accuracy and consistency, particularly in identifying subtle murmurs or rhythm abnormalities that may be difficult to detect in noisy or time-constrained clinical environments.
This ethos is reflected across Eko’s product lineup. Its devices, such as the Eko CORE 500™ Digital Stethoscope, integrate digital sound capture, visualization, and AI-assisted analysis into a single clinical instrument intended for routine patient examinations. The 3M™ Littmann® CORE Digital Stethoscope, developed in collaboration with an established medical equipment brand, combines traditional acoustic design with Eko’s digital amplification and signal processing, reinforcing continuity with trusted clinical tools.
Credibility-Led Brand Positioning
Eko Health anchors its brand positioning in institutional credibility built through academic partnerships, capital backing, and healthcare reimbursement alignment rather than consumer adoption alone. The company highlights collaborations with established medical institutions such as Mayo Clinic and Imperial College London, which signal engagement with rigorous clinical research environments and peer-reviewed evaluation. These relationships support the perception that Eko’s technology is developed and assessed within settings that prioritize scientific scrutiny and clinical relevance.
Financial backing further supports this credibility-led positioning. The brand has raised approximately $167 million in funding, reflecting confidence from institutional investors who typically assess regulatory pathways, clinical utility, and scalability before committing capital. This level of investment supports long-term product development, clinical studies, and enterprise deployment, all of which contribute to trust among hospitals and large health systems evaluating medical technologies.
It also emphasizes alignment with clinical reimbursement structures, including the availability of CPT codes associated with AI-supported cardiac analysis. The existence of reimbursement pathways is often viewed by healthcare organizations as a signal that a technology has reached a level of clinical acceptance and operational viability, enabling integration into routine care without relying solely on discretionary budgets.
Eko Health Limitations
Brand Growth Linked to Institutions
Eko Health’s growth is largely dependent on institutional adoption, which creates structural limitations in how quickly and broadly the brand can expand. A substantial share of its scaling occurs through enterprise deployments across large healthcare systems operating over 800 U.S. hospitals.
While this model provides credibility and access to large user bases, it also means growth is tied to hospital procurement cycles, budget approvals, and administrative decision-making rather than direct demand from individual clinicians or consumers. These processes are often slow and subject to shifting organizational priorities.
This dependency is evident in the deployment of products such as the Eko CORE 500™ Digital Stethoscope, the 3M™ Littmann® CORE Digital Stethoscope, and the Eko CORE™ Digital Attachment. These tools are typically introduced through enterprise agreements and standardized clinical programs, where adoption depends on institutional training, workflow integration, and alignment with electronic health record systems. Its technology is well-suited to structured clinical environments, but this also limits flexibility and reduces spontaneous uptake by independent users who are not part of large systems.
Eko’s expansion through telehealth further strengthens this reliance on institutions. Growth in remote cardiopulmonary monitoring is closely linked to how quickly health systems scale their telehealth services and invest in digital diagnostics. If system-level adoption slows due to funding constraints or changing strategic focus, the brand’s market momentum can be affected regardless of product capability.
This institution-centered growth model constrains reach beyond clinical networks. Awareness among general consumers and smaller independent practices remains limited, and expansion is less agile than brands that can scale through direct-to-consumer or retail channels.
Pros
- Focuses on AI-enabled digital stethoscopes for heart and lung assessment.
- Offers FDA-cleared algorithms for murmur and arrhythmia detection.
- Combines acoustic amplification with active noise reduction.
- Provides real-time waveform visualization through a companion app.
Cons
- Some users report shipping and fulfillment delays.
- App glitches and sync delays are reported by some users.
Eko Health Alternatives
Stemoscope
Stemoscope and Eko Health represent two distinct interpretations of how digital auscultation fits into modern care. While both brands operate with FDA-cleared devices, their priorities diverge in how sound is captured, interpreted, and integrated into clinical or personal workflows.
As per its official website, Stemoscope focuses primarily on sound accessibility, amplification, and listening flexibility. Its lineup includes the Stemoscope PRO, which is positioned as the digital stethoscope capable of streaming auscultation sounds directly to Bluetooth earbuds without requiring a phone, alongside the Stemoscope II that targets home and remote use.
The brand emphasizes high amplification levels, multiple auscultation modes such as bell, diaphragm, and extended, and a tubeless, lightweight design that supports mobile use, EMS settings, teaching scenarios, and users with hearing limitations. Rather than interpreting sounds automatically, Stemoscope concentrates on giving you clearer audio and tools to record, replay, and share those sounds when clinical input is needed.
The supporting DrStemo app reflects this listening-first approach. It is FDA-cleared for medical use and enables audio recording, playback with selectable filters, cloud-based sharing, and video-assisted telemedicine that documents device placement during remote consultations. This structure allows for capturing intermittent or situational heart and lung sounds at home, which later can be interpreted by a clinician. Additional non-medical apps extend Stemoscope’s use into education, pets, and general sound exploration, supporting its broader user scope beyond formal healthcare environments.
Meanwhile, Eko Health approaches the digital stethoscope as part of a diagnostic intelligence platform built for clinical decision support. Its devices integrate FDA-cleared AI designed to detect murmurs, atrial fibrillation, and indicators of low ejection fraction during exams. Enhanced audio with active noise cancellation is paired with visual waveforms, optional ECG views, and automatic record storage, allowing sounds to be reviewed, compared over time, and shared across care teams. Eko’s ecosystem is structured around providers, health systems, and life science organizations, with documented adoption at scale and multiple FDA clearances.
Stemoscope prioritizes portability, direct audio control, and flexibility across professional and personal contexts, leaving clinical judgment entirely to the listener or reviewing physician. Eko Health prioritizes early disease detection, workflow integration, and consistency across large clinical settings, using AI to augment clinical expertise rather than simply enhancing sound.
Stemoscope aligns more closely with use cases where access, mobility, and sound clarity are the primary needs, while Eko Health aligns with environments where diagnostic support, documentation, and system-wide deployment are central.
ThinkLabs
ThinkLabs focuses on enhancing the traditional physical exam through sound fidelity and hardware design. Its core products, including the Thinklabs One and Thinklabs One+Y, emphasize high-gain audio performance with up to 100× amplification, multiple filters tuned specifically for heart and lung sounds, and earbud-based listening rather than visual displays. The system does not rely on embedded AI, waveform visualization, or automated interpretation. It is designed to give you clearer, more detailed acoustic information and leave diagnostic judgment entirely in the clinician’s hands. The brand highlights compact size, premium materials such as anodized aluminum and sapphire crystal, U.S.-based assembly, and a long-standing emphasis on durability and support.
Eko Health takes a more software-driven route, positioning the stethoscope as part of a broader diagnostic and data ecosystem. Its digital stethoscopes combine amplified auscultation with FDA-cleared AI algorithms that analyze heart sounds and ECG data in real time. As you listen, the system can flag indicators such as murmurs, atrial fibrillation, and low ejection fraction, while also enabling visualization of waveforms through connected apps. Exams can be recorded, stored securely, shared, and integrated into electronic medical records, supporting longitudinal tracking and telehealth use.
The distinction between the two brands lies in their role during the exam. ThinkLabs prioritizes auditory precision and clinician-led interpretation, making it well-suited if you prefer to rely on refined listening skills without algorithmic input. Meanwhile, Eko Health emphasizes early detection, workflow integration, and decision support through AI, which may align more closely with system-level care, screening, and remote or high-throughput environments.
ThinkLabs positions its digital stethoscope as a high-performance listening instrument, while Eko Health positions it as an intelligent diagnostic platform embedded within modern clinical workflows.
How Did We Evaluate?
Brand Credibility
Eko Health concentrates on digital cardiology tools that combine electronic stethoscopes with software-based sound visualization, amplification, recording, and AI-assisted analysis. Its core features are designed to help clinicians listen more clearly, capture heart and lung sounds, store recordings, and review data through a companion app, with optional subscriptions adding advanced analysis and workflow support.
It currently holds a D- rating on the Better Business Bureau and is not BBB-accredited. Over the past three years, multiple complaints have been filed related to delivery delays, missing shipments, unresolved refunds, warranty handling issues, and subscription billing disputes. Several complaints remain unanswered, which appears to have influenced the low rating. These patterns point to operational and customer support challenges rather than isolated cases.
In comparison, the brand holds a 4.8 rating based on 24 reviews on Tenereteam, with users frequently highlighting device performance, sound quality, and usefulness in clinical settings. Feedback on this platform focuses more on product effectiveness than on order fulfillment or support issues.
Our evaluation indicates that Eko Health shows strong technical capability and clinical relevance, but inconsistent execution in customer service and post-purchase support. The brand’s products may meet professional needs, but the buying and support experience can vary, which is an important factor to consider before purchase.
Real User Experiences
To evaluate Eko Health, we reviewed customer feedback published on Reviews.io, where the brand holds a 4.4 out of 5 rating, which is based on approximately 400 reviews submitted between 2019 and 2025.
Many healthcare professionals report reliable sound amplification, recording functionality, and improved auscultation in busy or noisy environments. Feedback often points to practical benefits for routine examinations, clinical teaching, and documentation, with several users noting the value of digital features when working under PPE or managing hearing-related constraints.
However, several consumers have reported delayed deliveries, limited tracking visibility, order cancellations, and challenges reaching a live support representative, particularly in cases involving expedited shipping.
We also considered patterns in customer support experiences over time. Some users describe timely responses and effective replacements when hardware issues arose, while others report slower follow-ups, automated replies, and difficulties related to subscriptions or regional feature availability. These reviews suggest that product capability remains a consistent strength, while variations in communication clarity and support responsiveness influence the broader customer experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The brand’s offerings can be used during virtual or telehealth appointments when operated within a clinical workflow. They allow clinicians to live stream high-fidelity heart and lung sounds and, on select devices, single-lead ECG data to a remote provider in real time. Some options also support supervised use at home, with secure, compliant data transmission depending on the setup and product used.
Yes. The brand provides automated interpretations using FDA-cleared AI to analyze heart sounds and ECG signals. These outputs function as clinical decision support, meaning clinicians are expected to review and contextualize the results rather than rely on them alone. The analyses appear quickly within connected apps or devices and are intended to fit into existing clinical workflows.
Yes. The brand offers compatibility with electronic health record systems, primarily within clinical and enterprise settings. Its software allows heart sounds, ECG data, and AI analysis results to be stored securely, exported as reports, and uploaded into compatible EHR or EMR platforms. For larger fitness systems, enterprise options may include EHR customization and single sign-on support, depending on infrastructure and setup.
Conclusion
Eko Health is focused on improving how cardiopulmonary signals are captured and interpreted during routine exams. Its approach emphasizes digital auscultation, point-of-care cardiac assessment, and software-supported analysis rather than broad diagnostic coverage.
The brand states that its tools help surface clinically relevant heart and lung signals earlier in the exam process while fitting into existing workflows. The use of validated algorithms, regulatory clearance, and structured data storage supports standardized documentation and longitudinal review.
At the same time, the model introduces practical limitations. Access is often linked to institutional purchasing, ongoing software costs, and system-level adoption, which may limit flexibility for smaller or independent practices. The technology also depends on correct placement, adequate signal quality, and appropriate clinical context.
It is essential to avoid depending completely on automated outputs without clinical correlation, remain mindful of device maintenance and battery dependence, and ensure proper handling of recorded data.
The brand favors scientific validation and workflow alignment over broad accessibility, which may not suit practice settings.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Alisha Matthew has been a practicing nutritionist since 2016. She holds a master’s degree in nutrition from the University of IOWA. She is a staunch believer in improving the human health index by educating people about nutrition and the importance of nutrition in leading a healthy and happy life. Her long-term goal is to keep educating people on general health and keep herself updated with the latest trends in the field of health.