Eko: Digital Stethoscope + ECG Reviews

by Medguy

One of the reasons that I got the stethoscope and app wasIt allowed me to perform my cardio pulmonary Exam: I would disconnect the unit and listen via my headphones through my iPhone while still under full isolation gown precautions. Now thatIs changed, I cannot readily listen this way. Rather than just turning the stethoscope on and listening, I have to open up Eko to initiate any sort of auscultation. This really defeats the whole purpose of why I got the stethoscope. I can’t really recommend Eko and the stethoscope anymore

by MeistOfMes

For as much time as it takes to find a reliable waveform on this thing, your auto-record closing the EKG screen is NOT EVEN REMOTELY OKAY. This is horrible. It’s bad enough that everyone always looks like they have afib, but this is over the top terrible. I should be able to quickly open Eko and see a waveform for any amount of time I wish without having to click through stuff repeatedly. Bring this ability back, and I’ll give you your stars back. Don’t do that, and I’ll move on to a different brand.

I got this also because I can’t hear well through stethoscopes. Please explain to me why even when the volume is turned all the way up on my phone, I have to hold the speaker against my ear???? My hearing is not perfect, but it is certainly good enough to be able to turn this up and hear it at a reasonable volume on my phone. The idea behind this purchase was to be able to provide patient care to covid patients without removing my PAPR. I can’t even hear the phone app in a quiet empty room, let alone with a PAPR. This stethoscope was a very disappointing purchase overall. I was so so excited for it, too.

by Rduggan99

I’m a health care professional and keep getting error messages titled “poor audio heart quality” when trying to use Eko in my clinical world. Tried all kind of remedies but to no avail. It ALWAYS happens with both my Duo and Core stethoscopes when trying to record an exam. Not one time after several recordings did I not get this error. The company gave me a huge laundry list of troubleshooting steps that I have no time to be bothered with in my busy world. Additionally, you call the company and now have to leave a message and then hope they call you back in a timely manner. So you are relegated to a “cut and paste” email that they send you to hopefully remedy the situation. Back and forth emails with no solutions!!!

by JoeShmo555

Eko seems very intuitive but the audio playback out of my iPhone speakers is horrendous. Even in a quiet room, the playback from the sample audios provided is barely perceptible and I can’t see how I would be able to share the audios with a patient or even save them in a chart. As an adjunct to a medical device, QUALITY is paramount and as of this time, Eko gets a fail, period. If I can’t hear the audio clearly at least 2 feet away with my speakers all the way up, I consider that as horrendous quality. Not to mention that it does not even work with touchID or FaceID....seriously...!

by BobbGWhiz

They asked me to re-review with the newest version. It’s listed as bug fixes. I don’t see anything of benefit. They have a volume boost switch on Eko . If you put the stethoscope head and core device in a plastic bag and use your iPhone, you get way too much plastic bag crinkling noise. Too loud and distracting. You don’t want to pull out your iPhone with full PPE on to adjust volume. It’s cumbersome and not practical. The stethoscope without the phone offers good amplification

by LPM13

Stethoscope OK. Does amplify sound as advertised, noise cancellation could be improved but acceptable. Please continue to improve. I would also like more comfortable earpads, the Littmann has larger, more comfortable earpads.

My main complaint is that Eko is poor. Playback is very quiet when using any device except the stethoscope. Playback on iPhone speaker almost inaudible at max volume, playback on Bluetooth headphones just as bad. It’s not a problem with my ears, I’m in my late 20s with no hearing loss... playback is just quiet.

Also the sound of the recording does not match the tracing of the heart sounds, it is off by a second or so. They should sync up to be useful. It feels like a cheap mistake.

Finally, entering the pin to access recordings is annoying, I feel like it should have Face ID/touch ID like most other apps.

Overall I’m disappointed in the quality to price ratio. $300 is a premium, you need to reflect that. You guys have potential, please fix Eko .

by Cheri3402

But Eko is not user friendly at all. You need to save the recording under a name in order for the home button to appear if you just want to simply adjust settings. I have no way to find the murmur detection anywhere on Eko . There isn’t a simple send button anywhere on the recordings to send via email or text. There needs to be a video sent to every new user on how to use Eko and do tasks that your company advertises instead of how to press a button to turn the stethoscope on.

by ASCards

I agree with the previous reviewers comments. The stethoscope itself has great amplification but background noise is also high.
I did have “play from iPhone” on. The playback is very very soft from the speakers. This would be a great teaching app if playback volume was fixed. Since this is digitally recorded I’m not clear why amplification is such a problem.
Looking forward to app upgrades that address these problem before I recommend this product to my colleagues. Thanks

by Romeo Valladares

I really like the stethoscope amplifier with out the use of the application. There is a lag time that takes some getting used to. I have used a Littmann stethoscope for 25 years and I have gotten very good with its use. My hearing is changing and I do need the amplifier but with Eko and the lag time, the learning curve is greater that I anticipated. I will continue to use it with a stethoscope and occasional use of Eko in COVID situations or other settings that require detail and allow for time. This may not be for ER work(where I spent most of my time) This is more for ICU setting (my second life).
In my third life(Geriatric Home Health) I can use it but connecting the amplifier to the phone or iPad and headphones is slow and time consuming.
The device is well made and heavy duty and great quality. Do mot expect a fast response to the connection to Eko and it is not for quick work.

by Ichibanjay

App is simple and interfaces nicely with this app duo but there are some major drawbacks:

1. Sound playback is really quiet, even when I connect my iPhone X to a Bose soundlink mini Bluetooth speaker or apple AirPods I can’t hear the recorded heart sounds at highest volume settings. Playing the sounds back through the this app duo is nice and loud.

2. Double clicking shortcut to record heart sounds and ekg only works when app is open. Would be nice if double clicking the this app duo automatic launches or sends recording to Eko without having to pull out your phone and open Eko .

by Bainbridge Bill

I’m a ICU nurse and use the this app Core stethoscope without the ear piece and tubing during patient care while in isolation. I can sync with my iPhone and AirPods allowing me to leave the phone outside the room. I place the stethoscope in a bag for patient assessment.
There are a few problems I have experienced. One is the need to charge the phone within 6-8 hours of a 12 hr shift.

It would also be helpful to have some way of identifying if the unit is on or off and the ability to “wake up” the unit after being idle for awhile. Otherwise, one has to turn the unit off and back on then re-sync with Eko .

Great amplification and sound deadening while in isolation rooms with noisy fans. I can hear heart and lung sounds very well. I just leave the stethoscope on the patient’s chest and/or stomach and perform patient care while listening to the body. Great time saver and I’m not restricted by the length of my stethoscope hose.

this app Core is a great product but there is room for improvement.

by KCT319

Auscultation can be difficult in a room with a loud air scrubber running. So the amplification really comes in handy. I connect to my phone via Bluetooth and then listen with my earphones. Then I hit the toggle to turn off Bluetooth so that I can hear ambient noise without the need to remove my earphones.
The only reason it’s not 5 stars is because the phone screen has to be on with Eko open for Bluetooth to connect to the stethoscope. I would prefer to have my screen off to save battery life.

by Ajsvet

I wrote a review with some of the shortcomings of the stethoscope/app and promptly received a response from the development team. It turns out that one shortcoming (the phone speaker audio) can’t really be fixed since it’s a speaker issue and not really an issue on Eko ’s part. The other one I mentioned, which was a loud noise after a recording playback finished playing through the stethoscope, was fixed very quickly. It turned out to be a known bug with some older models of the this app Core, and I was immediately sent a replacement. The replacement was shipped without my needing to send the defective unit back first, since I would be without a stethoscope until the replacement arrived. I received the replacement unit within a few days, and I’ll now be sending back the defective unit free of charge. The audio bug seems to be gone, which is great, and it was a very easy process to fix the issue.

by RigDoc

Use this onboard the ship where I see pts. It has improved my ability to auscultate in a very noisy environment.
The added ease of cleaning and and the BT advantage in these times is indispensable.

I have had no issues with Eko . It has performed to my needs w/o fail and records well for me.

by Kfelice

This device has truly made my job as a clinician, RN much easier by being able to hear more clearly what’s going on with my patients lungs, heart, bowel sounds etc- it’s truly worth the investment.

by Harris NP

I love this stethoscope I can’t believe the clarity. I am a nurse practitioner in family medicine. I can stream through my hearing aides as well as use the ear piece over them. My iPhone is paired so I can see the ECG. Saw a lot of bad reviews and was unsure to purchase this, glad I did. Well worth the money especially for hearing impaired providers.

by WoollyBuggerBrewing

I have had the first this app and then the latest version of their product. The this app app works very smoothly. This helps overcome the unilateral hearing loss. I had the Littman version of electronic stethescope in the past, and the this app surpassed it in every way. this app has great battery life, sound quality and just works great. The wireless option with Eko is fabulous for the COVID-19 pandemic we are in. Thank you.

by Kjhopf3

Wish there was an Apple Watch app that allowed for you to connect to your headphones from the watch and switch modes between wide, cardiac, and pulmonary. This would help with the integration into the hospital so I can seamlessly connect and change my stethoscope settings right in front of the patient without pulling out my phone. Thanks for reading this hope something comes from it.

by Midwest Fly Girl

I have been needing to wear hearing aids for hearing loss and tinnitus for some time now, but being a health care provider I needed to be able to use a stethoscope. I have Bluetooth hearing aids but could not hear well enough connected to the this app to the hearing aids. I bought a pair of behind the ear headphones, that I can put over my ears and lay around my neck, that work fantastic! I had a Littmann Cardiology stethoscope that I wasn’t using, due to bad tubing. I am using the head of the stethoscope on my Core this app and I hear so well, even better than my newer Littmann IV stethoscope. I am so happy with this product!! I wish they had this available years ago when I worked as a flight nurse.

by Jay_Dee_53

Love my this app stethoscopes. I just wish there was a way to use them with my Apple Watch while I’m on the run, instead of having to pull my phone out at the bedside. Please add a feature that allows a single waveform to be viewed livestream on the Apple Watch with ability to press a button to start and end a single recording. The ability to capture a single recording that is automatically saved with the date and time stamp (we can modify patient data in the phone app later). I’m sure everyone would be extremely appreciative! I would start advertising for this app if this feature was available for the this app CORE & this app Duo. If we could record all audio/waveforms, while only displaying one waveform on the Apple Watch as a livestream wave, that would be so sick!

by Turtletow3333111222

Ive ordered my stethoscope and duo,due to receive anytime. I was trying to get ahead and installed Eko in preparation. However when signed up never received confirmation email. Therefore cannot access Eko . I had reached out to support with no response. Dont know how good the item would be without Eko . I will give it some time as i have great expectations of the product but without Eko may have to return it.

by Apliatus

Please bring back the feature of volume control in Eko , i could place the volume just perfect. Now even if I turn it down all the way it seams way too loud.

by A Foil

I purchased this app device during the hight of pandemic because I needed a compact stethoscope device that reduced clutters that I had to carry while seeing patients in ER. This device fit the need. Compact in size, easy to protect by covering it w a glove, easy to disinfect, quick to use and put away in a pocket. Able to hear despite negative pressure pump in patient’s room. It is inconvenient and have to adjust to having a earbud in my hear while talking to the patient. However, I was safely and conveniently auscultate patients including COVID PUI with asthma/CHF,etc. Had a major set back with bluetooth connection for about 6 wks that was very frustrating & trying to resolve it by email was futile. I was appreciate of the support team who arranged for a zoom mtg. The issue is resolved now. The device connects seamlessly. It does drain phone battery and this is something I’ll have to collect more detailed data to give feedback. I find it necessary to carry my Litmann stethoscope tube with me in case of any malfunction w this app. I prefer Littmann chest piece with the this app attachment. Support team has been responsive. Emily has been very responsive, accommodating and instrumental in my continued use of the this app attachment device. In a busy, loud ER in this unpredictable pandemic period, this device is innovated and has the edge.

by Happy To My Core!

Have really enjoyed using this in my practice, amplification on it’s own is nice but added value in being able to playback a recording to my patients and show their heart sounds

by Mm916157

I just downloaded the new version of Eko and everything is working seamlessly. Fast update and quick/intuitive interface.