Digital Stethoscopes offer sound amplification and noise cancellation capabilities that will help in the assessment of body sounds. What is less know is that modern Bluetooth stethoscopes go one step further. Compatible with iOS and Android devices, they also allow wireless transmission of the heart sound in real-time for recording and storing the sounds.
The data can be stored in the patient’s Electronic Health Record (EHR), which allows easy follow-up and open the doors to the possibility to check on the evolution of a condition. Recordings are digitalized. They can also be shared with colleagues to sick a second opinion or for students to build their own library of heart sounds.
To improve the transmission of the data from the stethoscope to the app, always make sure that your phone or tablet is in a reasonable range. The signal should not be obstructed by walls, people, or electronic equipment, which they could potentially interfere with.
Another clear benefit of Bluetooth stethoscopes is the possibility to pair with Bluetooth speakers, headphones, or hearing aids. It allows Professors to share the auscultation with students or with other clinical team members in real-time.
Allowing multiple clinicians to listen to the examination potentially offers better diagnostics and is a game-changer in how auscultation is taught in medical schools.
How to pair your Bluetooth stethoscope with our mobile device?
For most electronic stethoscopes, pairing is a straightforward process. Just ensure that Bluetooth is turned on on your mobile device, launch the dedicated app, and the pairing should be automatic. In case of an unsuccessful pairing, an error message will appear.
We recommend starting the process from the beginning and not forgetting to delete the unsuccessfully paired stethoscope from your Bluetooth device list on your phone or tablet.
What are the most common functionalities offered by the apps?
The EKO platform interfaces with the 3M Littman CORE, the EKO CORE Digital attachment, and the EKO Duo ECG + Digital Stethoscope. The data are transferred via Bluetooth and allows to visualize hear sound waveform in real-time.
Up to 120 seconds of wireless auscultation can be recorded for proper documentation and sharing with colleagues.
The platform also goes one step further when adding the paid Pro Plan. This add-on allows benefiting from AI intelligence to detect early-stage heart murmurs. Finally, when subscribing to the Pro Telehealth Plan, the data stream can be shared in real-time using the built-in videoconferencing platform.
Bluetooth stethoscopes have the potential to change how cardiologists conduct patient examinations. Such devices are the true future of medicine, and we suspect that they will soon become ubiquitous in all hospitals, even at veterinarian clinics.
