I listened to my heart and my lungs with the “thermometer of the future”

A thermometer is a medicine cabinet essential, and its task is simple: measure body temperature. But will its simplicity stand the test of time? Health tech company Withings has done a massive overhaul of the humble thermometer with BeamO. Dubbed the “thermometer of the future,” BeamO is a stethoscope, electrocardiogram (ECG), and, yes, thermometer, all in one device.

I reported on BeamO’s launch and FDA clearance in November, and since then Withings has sent me the device so I can do my own testing. Over the past few weeks of testing BeamO and the Withings connected app, it has become clear to me what the company believes the future of healthcare will look like.

BeamO’s one-button design makes it surprisingly simple to use

Similar to a traditional thermometer, the portable BeamO is incredibly simple to use, despite its multiple functions. It has a single button with four scroll directions and an LED screen. The non-contact thermometer is on the top, the digital stethoscope is on the bottom and the two electrodes of the electrocardiogram and the SpO2 sensor (pulse oximeter) are on the right. SpO2 to measure blood oxygen is not available in the United States.

On the left side of the device is the USB-C port for charging and plugging headphones. BeamO has a battery life of 8 months and a charging time of 1 hour.

Once turned on, you will see your name at the top, the option to use BeamO as a guest, settings (for device information, reset and update), and the option to turn off the device. When you click on your name or “guest”, you will have the choice to take an ECG, your temperature or use the stethoscope to listen to your heart and lungs.

BeamO works with iOS and Android and syncs data with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – although Wi-Fi is recommended.

Stethoscope recordings are fun, but you need a doctor for analysis

With the stethoscope function, you can record your heart in four positions on the chest, your lungs in eight positions on the chest and back and “wide”, which captures heart and breathing sounds in a single position in the center of your chest. The company recommends using the stethoscope in a quiet room, sitting with hands supported, and placing it directly on bare skin or on a thin layer of clothing. He also advises briefly holding your breath while recording your heart sounds. Since lung recordings are also taken on your back, you will need someone’s help.

Once you’ve selected the organ to record, a body diagram appears to help you choose the exact location, checking off each location as you go. Each recording lasts 15 seconds and ends with two vibrations to let you know it’s finished. You can take a break at any time. If you have a USB-C headphone adapter, you can listen to sounds while recording. However, I didn’t have one, so I could only listen once the results were uploaded to the Withings app.

The only problem I had with the stethoscope was that it kept warning me that my environment was “too noisy”, even when I was in the quietest room in my house. I’m not sure how much this affected the recording, as I would need a doctor to look at it.

Since a doctor had to interpret the recordings, I couldn’t really judge their accuracy for myself. However, the app mentions what recordings should look like in each area. For example, for the lower left part of the lungs, they are “louder and more hollow, like a tube, heard with each breath”, while for the upper left part “the sounds are soft, like a light rustling”. I noticed these differences, and it was cool to hear these sounds myself, but, again, I would need a doctor to confirm their accuracy and report any abnormalities.

You can send your ECG for review by a cardiologist

When you click on ECG, BeamO displays an educational image and invites you to place your fingers on the two electrodes of the device. Then it records the electrical activity of your heart using a medical-grade 1-lead ECG for 30 seconds. In Europe only, this feature can be used to detect atrial fibrillation or irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia).

If you live in the US, you’ll need to unlock this feature by having your first ECG reviewed by a board-certified cardiologist, which is free and automatic in the Withings app and only takes 24-48 hours. I appreciated not having to go through my own doctor or health insurance just to activate this feature.

Cardio Check-Up is a unique feature

With a Withings Plus subscription, you can send your ECG to a board-certified cardiologist for review within 24 hours. According to Withings, they can detect more than 10 signs of arrhythmias. The three main results are green for normal sinus rhythm, yellow for bradycardia (slow heart rate) or tachycardia (fast heart rate), and red for atrial fibrillation (atrial fibrillation), an irregular heart rhythm.

You can have a cardio check-up carried out for free four times a year with the annual subscription ($100/year) or once a quarter with the monthly subscription ($10/month). A cardio assessment is also available during your free one-month trial with Withings Plus, in case you want to test it out before committing.

I had trouble finding how to access the control in the app, but a quick search revealed these instructions. When I clicked on my ECG in the Withings app, I found the cardio checkup option, agreed to share the data with a clinician, and sent it.

I received my assessment within six hours (much quicker than expected) and the clinician concluded that my sinus rhythm was normal, indicating a regular heartbeat. Below, information has been provided on what normal sinus rhythm is, what it means for my health, and its signs. At the very bottom was a disclaimer reminding me that this is for self-monitoring purposes only, that it is not a medical diagnosis, and that I should consult my doctor if I have any concerns.

I appreciated having a doctor confirm that I used this feature correctly and evaluate it for possible abnormalities, which I could then take to my own doctor for an actual diagnosis. However, as someone who health anxietyI admit I would have panicked if I had received results that weren’t normal, so that’s something you need to be prepared for and ready to tackle with this kind of home check.

The thermometer could be improved with adult profiles

Back to basics, the thermometer reminds me of others I’ve used. It takes your temperature contactlessly when you slowly move the device from the middle of your forehead to the top of your ear. Next, BeamO displays your temperature with a colored icon: green for normal, yellow for high, and red for high.

However, normal, high and high temperatures can vary by age, so the BeamO product guide includes a reference chart. For children under 3 months, it is also recommended to take three measurements and use the highest result.

For children under 16, you can add their own user profile to your Withings account. You can do this for up to seven users under this age. However, with BeamO in particular, I would like to be able to add adult profiles. I share my house with my partner and we use the same thermometer. It would therefore be useful to separate our BeamO measurements in the application.

In the app you can also use a beta version of Withings Intelligence, based on AI. I asked if he noticed anything abnormal in my results, but I didn’t expect an answer since a doctor has to review the EKG and stethoscope recordings. As expected, he only mentioned that I had a higher temperature one day (this was actually a step I had taken for my partner), and then asked me to share any symptoms I had experienced.

Sharing your health data is integrated into the application

For any measurements you take with BeamO, you can share them with a doctor in two ways: as a PDF or via a HealthLink report, which is available for seven days and can be deleted at any time. You can also choose to share individual results or a complete health report for a specific period. Adults can also choose to share certain data with a loved one.

All of this can be done by clicking on each individual measurement in the Home tab or Share tab of the app, where you can set up a child’s profile. Under this last tab, you can also choose to connect to the following apps: Apple Health, Strava, MyFitnessPal and Fitbit.

When you log in to the Withings app, where your results are displayed, you must agree to the Withings privacy policy and terms. You must also agree to share your data when a cardiologist from Heartbeat Health, a partner of Withings, a virtual cardiology company, examines your ECG. However, you can revoke your consent and data sharing at any time.

My Final Verdict: What Does the Future of BeamO Look Like?

After several weeks with BeamO, it is clear that the creators of this “thermometer of the future” envision a world where home health monitoring and telehealth are essential.

Aside from the cardio monitoring function, which requires a cardiologist and the thermometer, you are not able to decipher the heart and lung recordings from the stethoscope as a layman. These require the expertise of a doctor; During a telehealth consultation, a doctor can also help you determine where to place BeamO to get the best recordings.

Since BeamO is not intended to be used alone for medical diagnosis or treatment purposes, it makes sense that it would be ideal for a consumer who uses telehealth often. I could see BeamO being useful for a disabled person, someone with a contagious disease who needs to quarantine, or someone who doesn’t have reliable transportation or funds for in-person doctor’s appointments. The device could also be useful to someone with heart or lung problems who would benefit from monitoring their heart and lungs. home for later analysis by their doctor.

BeamO isn’t cheap at $250, and to access Withings Plus for cardio assessment it costs $10/month or $100/year. What helps is that it is FSA/HSA eligible, includes a one-month free trial of Withings Plus, has a 30-day trial, and a two-year warranty.

If you’re a dedicated telehealth user, your doctor wants you to record your heart or lungs at home, or you use other Withings products and want a comprehensive overview of your health on the app, then BeamO might be worth the price. Otherwise, if you’re just looking for a basic thermometer, you’re probably better off opting for a more affordable device.

Overall, I think BeamO is a cool device that opens up the possibilities of what a regular thermometer can do. It’s also trendy with fitness trackers and others health technology devices which aim to provide consumers with instant knowledge about how every part of their body works.