Could this be every doctor's dream-gizmo - a stethoscope that is equipped to self-detect hidden heart problems? Irish researchers hope that this hi-end steth, that may lead to rapid diagnosis of coronary artery disease, will have docs queueing up for it.
Dr Scott Rickard, from University College Dublin is an expert in audio identification techniques. His expertise brought him to the attention of FBI where he pioneered an eavesdropping technology, which can identify a speaker's location in a crowded room.
The "rise" and "fall" of Rubber Gloves at Johns Hopkins
The Johns Hopkins Hospital has become the first major medical institution to become “latex safe” by ending all use of latex gloves and almost all medical latex products.
The Johns Hopkins Hospital has become the first major medical institution to become “latex safe” by ending all use of latex gloves and almost all medical latex products.
"So if you were in a room and 10 people were speaking, you could tell who said what, when," the BBC quoted Dr Rickard as saying.
But detecting heart disease just by listening is a more difficult exercise.
MP3 Players Could Detect Some Respiratory Sounds Better Than Stethoscopes
MP3 players/recorders detect some respiratory sounds better than traditional stethoscopes and could prove handy replacements in the future, two researchers told an international conference
MP3 players/recorders detect some respiratory sounds better than traditional stethoscopes and could prove handy replacements in the future, two researchers told an international conference
Rickard said: "It is essentially just six little round microphones about the size of a US quarter, connected to a computer.
Advertisement
Heartbeats on IPods - Being "cool" can Help Doctors too
A weird idea, it may sound like, but most of life’s best inventions did sound strange at first, before their outcome shushed up critics.
A weird idea, it may sound like, but most of life’s best inventions did sound strange at first, before their outcome shushed up critics.
The sounds hidden between these peaks can significantly tell about heart disease.
Advertisement
Experienced Physicians Diagnose Heart Diseases Earlier
Research done on the physicians handling of the stethoscope has shown that those with experience and skills are able to detect S3 heart sound earlier and thus detect heart disease
Research done on the physicians handling of the stethoscope has shown that those with experience and skills are able to detect S3 heart sound earlier and thus detect heart disease
"We might all hope that our hearts sound like Mozart, unfortunately at some stage they might sound like Metallica.
"We are building a detector that basically tells the difference between Mozart and Metallica - that might seem easy but it's not," he said.
Currently, a team of cardiologists at St Vincent's hospital in Dublin are testing the stethoscope and collecting data to boost its scientific credentials.
Source-ANI
TAN/M
