ST. PAUL, Minn., May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 3M™ Littmann® today announced its 3M™ Littmann® CORE Digital Stethoscope received honorable mention accolades in the health category of the 2022 Fast Company World Changing Ideas global awards program recognizing companies, products and initiatives that support innovation for the public good and tackle social inequality, climate change and public health crises.

Currently available in 21 countries, the 3M Littmann CORE Digital Stethoscope is a first-of-its-kind smart stethoscope. Released in October 2020, it marries best-in-class 3M Littmann technology with advanced digital innovations from Eko, a digital health company advancing heart and lung disease detection. Benefits to clinicians include:

• Sound amplification up to 40 times -- at peak frequency versus analog -- to help health care providers with different hearing abilities and identify hard to hear body noises.
• Active noise cancellation to help reduce distracting background sounds for those working in noisy environments.
• Easy one-button toggling between analog and digital amplification modes to suit the clinician's listening needs. Also includes two tunable diaphragms -- adult and pediatric – that allow users to listen for both high and low frequency sounds without repositioning the chest piece.
• Visualization of sound data during auscultation. The ability to see the pathology is another tool to help clinicians with diagnoses.
• HIPAA compliant means to save and annotate 15-, 30-, 60- or 120-second recordings in a secure dashboard. Also enables clinicians to create a library of heart sounds to monitor the progression of a disease, for education, or to securely share recordings with colleagues.
• Analysis of heart sounds to aid in the detection of the presence of suspected heart murmurs in seconds with Eko's FDA-cleared and clinically-proven AI algorithm.

"3M Littmann is a pioneer and proven leader in auscultation innovation and quality. The 3M Littmann CORE Digital Stethoscope is our most advanced stethoscope yet and we believe it will help the world tackle heart disease, one preventative screening at a time," said Kristi Barnett, 3M medical devices senior director. "3M applies science to life. Our entire health care team is constantly exploring new and iterative technologies and partnerships that empower clinicians and improve patient outcomes worldwide and we are honored with this prestigious recognition from Fast Company,"

"The entire team at Eko is thrilled about this recognition from Fast Company," said Connor Landgraf, co-founder and CEO of Eko, which was also recognized by Fast Company earlier this year among the ten most innovative health companies of 2022. "Our collaboration with 3M Littmann on the Littmann CORE Stethoscope has already put our heart disease screening technology into the hands of hundreds of thousands of clinicians globally, effectively screening over a million patients annually."

Now in its sixth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 39 winners, 350 finalists, and more than 600 honorable mentions, with climate, social justice, and AI and data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of almost 3,000 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, health, social justice, and more. The 2022 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Switzerland to Hong Kong to Australia.

"We are consistently inspired by the novelty and creativity that people are applying to society's most pressing problems, from shelter to the climate crisis," says David Lidsky, interim editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "Fast Company relishes its role in amplifying the important and innovative work being done to address big challenges. Our journalists have identified some of the most ingenious initiatives to launch since the start of 2021, and we can't wait to see the positive mark they leave on their respective industries."

About 3M
At 3M (NYSE: MMM), we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily as our employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M's creative solutions to global challenges at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or @3MNews. 

About 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes
3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes is a global leader in auscultation technology - providing innovative solutions to improve patient care. Littmann stethoscopes are trusted worldwide for precision, acoustic excellence, reliable design and exceptional performance, helping clinicians detect difficult-to-hear body sounds and improve patient outcomes.

About Eko
Eko, a digital health company, is advancing how healthcare professionals detect and monitor heart and lung disease with its innovative suite of digital tools, patient and provider software, and AI-powered analysis. Its FDA-cleared platform is used by hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide, allowing them to detect earlier and with higher accuracy, diagnose with more confidence, manage treatment effectively, and ultimately give their patients the best care possible. Eko is headquartered in Oakland, California, with over $125 million in funding from Highland Capital Partners, Questa Capital, Artis Ventures, DigiTx Partners, NTTVC, Morningside Technology Ventures Limited, Mayo Clinic, Sutter Health, and others. For more information visit www.ekohealth.com.

About the World Changing Ideas Awards
World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company's major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.