In 1816, French physician René Laennec invented an instrument that could listen to the human heart and lungs. That device, the stethoscope, evolved from a simple wooden tube to the lightweight, two-earpiece version that most physicians today wear around their necks.
Founded in 2013, startup Eko Health is using AI to enhance this ubiquitous medical tool and bring it into the digital age. Over the past decade, Eko has sold stethoscopes to more than 500,000 doctors and healthcare professionals. Because the stethoscopes have been used by millions of patients, the company has amassed a large dataset of chest sounds and electrocardiogram (ECG) information, which Eko has used to develop various algorithms to detect heart disease.
“Stethoscope exams are incredibly inconsistent and inaccurate, leading to delayed or misdiagnosed diagnoses,” said Connor Landgraf, CEO and founder of Eco Health. “We want to use AI to improve accuracy so patients can get an earlier, more appropriate diagnosis.”
Landgraf explained that traditional stethoscopes don't allow doctors to hear the subtle differences between health and illness. [heart sounds] “You evaluate the heart rhythm and have the AI interpret that, almost putting the skills of a cardiologist in the pocket of your doctor, your nurse or your frontline medical professional,” he said.
In April, Eko stethoscopes received FDA clearance to use AI to detect the first signs of heart failure during routine checkups, the company's third FDA-cleared algorithm. Eko's AI was also recently cleared to detect heart murmurs that could be a sign of abnormal heart valves. (A Massachusetts General Hospital study found that Eko's AI identified more than twice as many patients with heart disease compared to primary care physicians.)
Eko's clinical milestones enabled the company to raise $41 million in a Series D round with participation from ARTIS Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, NTTVC and Questa Capital. This capital injection brings the company's total funding to $165 million.
The new funding will be used to train AI algorithms to detect lung diseases such as asthma and pneumonia, and to sell the device and accompanying software to doctors outside the United States.
“Of all the things I've invested in, Eko might be one of the most practical because it can easily change the outcome,” says Vas Bailey, a partner at ARTIS Ventures. Bailey lost his father to heart disease on his 11th birthday. “When you go to the doctor for a routine checkup, they find more heart abnormalities. As part of the checkup, it could potentially save your life. It may have helped save my father's life.”
While no other company has integrated AI into a stethoscope, other startups using AI to detect cardiac conditions include Ultromics and CardioSignal.