3M's Littman electronic stethoscope wins innovation of the year award
2 December 2009
The 3M Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 with Zargis Cardioscan software was named Innovation of the Year by Popular Science magazine. The award highlights outstanding innovation, vision and execution in technologic, scientific and medical advances for the year.
“Pairing the Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 with Zargis Cardioscan software is a gigantic step forward in changing the way clinicians listen to and interpret heart sounds,” said Debra Rectenwald, vice president and general manager, 3M Infection Prevention division. “This award is a testament to the spirit that drives 3M’s innovation to develop and create new ways to improve the delivery of healthcare.”
“Together, 3M and Zargis took the basic electronic stethoscope and transformed it into an advanced clinical tool that can improve diagnostic capabilities,” said John Kallassy, chief executive officer of Zargis Medical. “Cardioscan is a breakthrough in medical technology that has the potential to reduce unnecessary medical referrals while improving outcomes at the same time.”
The Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200 is the first electronic stethoscope featuring Bluetooth technology, which wirelessly transfers heart, lung and other body sounds from the chestpiece to Zargis Cardioscan or Zargis StethAssist software for analysis.
The stethoscope and Cardioscan software combination is designed to help clinicians identify suspected heart murmurs and differentiate between those that should be referred for echocardiography and those that should not, based on guidelines issued jointly by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Based on the software analysis and their own assessment, physicians can then choose to refer patients for an echocardiogram test, which are conclusive, but are also very expensive.
Each year, the editors of Popular Science review thousands of products in search of the top 100 tech innovations of the year; breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their categories.
The winners — the Best of What's New — are awarded inclusion in the December issue of Popular Science. Best of What’s New awards are presented to 100 new products and technologies in 11 categories: Automotive, Aviation & Space, Computing, Engineering, Gadgets, Green Technology, Home Entertainment, Security, Home Technology, Personal Health and Recreation. The full list of winners can be found at: www.popsci.com/bown2009