Emergency Physician Uses Eko to Bring Clarity to Critical Moments
As an emergency physician and global health leader, Dr. Taylor Burkholder uses Eko in high-stakes, high-noise environments — from crowded ERs to chaotic music festivals. The technology has become a reliable tool in his fast-paced world, helping him train future clinicians, support patients in low-resource settings, and deliver high-quality care wherever it's needed.
“It’s a game changer. Being able to tune out the noise of an ER or music festival and clearly hear a patient’s breath sounds has completely transformed how I practice.”
Taylor Burkholder, MD, MPH, has spent more than a decade on the front lines of emergency medicine. Based in Southern California, he holds faculty roles at an academic institution where he teaches clinical emergency medicine and leads academic programs focused on global health equity.
He divides his time between providing care at a major public hospital in Los Angeles, conducting research abroad, and practicing event medicine — working directly with patients in unconventional, often unpredictable settings like outdoor concerts and large-scale festivals. These roles allow him to combine clinical expertise with public health insight and a commitment to improving access to care around the world.
From ERs to bass drops
Whether he’s in a busy trauma bay or triaging patients under stage lights at a music festival, Dr. Burkholder’s work demands tools that rise to the challenge. For years he relied on a traditional analog stethoscope, but it often came up short.
“Between ambulances, monitors, and voices in the ER, or bass thumping at a music festival, it could be almost impossible to hear subtle but important sounds.”
To overcome this, he turned to the 3M™ Littmann® CORE Digital Stethoscope, drawn to its noise cancellation and audio amplification.
That shift was pivotal. At one high-volume outdoor event, he recalls quickly identifying wheezing in a patient with asthma — something he says he wouldn’t have caught with an analog scope.
“Being able to turn up the volume and use noise cancellation changed everything.”
Next-level listening with the CORE 500®
More recently, Dr. Burkholder began using the Eko CORE 500® Digital Stethoscope and noticed even greater improvements. “The noise cancellation and the Bluetooth connectivity are better than anything I’ve used before. It makes a real difference both in the ER and in high-noise environments like concerts.”
The CORE 500’s built-in ECG display has also become a valuable feature. While his ER patients are typically on full monitors, the ability to view rhythms in real time — especially in remote or event settings — adds another layer of insight that supports fast, accurate clinical decisions.
Using AI to support clinical confidence
Eko’s AI has also become a key tool in Dr. Burkholder’s diagnostic decision-making process, especially in ambiguous cases.
“If a murmur sounds a little less typical to me, being able to use the AI feature has been really interesting. In some cases it has made me consider a cardiology consult earlier in the patient’s care.”
In one memorable case, Eko’s stethoscope helped him catch something another clinician had missed. The patient had been flagged for possible pneumonia and was nearly discharged, but Dr. Burkholder’s exam revealed a subtle new murmur. Thanks to his digital stethoscope, he detected endocarditis — a life-threatening condition that required immediate IV antibiotics. That early catch changed the patient’s outcome entirely.
Teaching tools with real-world impact
In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Burkholder educates future physicians. He regularly uses Eko’s digital stethoscopes as part of his teaching toolkit, recording and replaying sounds so students and residents can develop their diagnostic ear.
The technology not only improves learning but helps demystify the physical exam for patients.
“It’s an incredible teaching tool. It reinforces physical exam skills at the bedside in a way that’s more effective than telling someone to ‘listen right here.’ And patients like it too. I can play their own murmur back for them so they understand what’s going on.”
He's also adapted his approach to make pediatric exams less intimidating. By streaming sounds to his headphones while a caregiver holds the stethoscope, he’s able to assess young patients without causing distress.
Expanding access through global health
His experience with a global health organization and clinical work in Liberia and Zambia has shaped his perspective on how digital stethoscopes can improve global health equity.
“In many low-resource settings, EKGs are hard to access, even in emergency departments. Having AFib detection or AI-assisted murmur analysis at the bedside could be transformative.”
He also sees opportunities for building sound libraries, supporting remote supervision, and expanding diagnostic training. The main barrier, he notes, is cost. “As costs come down and accessibility improves, these devices will absolutely have an impact in the hands of clinicians working in those settings.”
Looking ahead
Asked what he would say to clinicians considering a digital stethoscope, Dr. Burkholder doesn’t hesitate: “You have to try it. You can hear so much better. If you’re striving to be the best diagnostician you can be, it will make a huge difference in your practice.”
Looking to the future, he is encouraged by the role technology will play in raising the standard of emergency care worldwide. “As we integrate these innovations, they will reduce variability across providers and ensure that patients get timely, high-quality emergency care when they need it most.”
