New Intelligent Stethoscope
Node Smith, ND
Monitor Heart Beat and Respiratory Function from Home
A team of researchers from AMU Institute of Acoustics, have developed a new “intelligent” stethoscope.1 The stethoscope is called: StethoMe. The design was made possible after a 1.5-million-dollar investment by TDJ Pitango Ventures, a Polish-Israeli innovative start-up fund. The team was led by Dr. Honorata Hafke-Dys.
StethoMe
StethoMe is a medical device that allows monitoring and assessment of heart beat and respiratory function from the comfort of a patient’s home. The stethoscope is wireless, and only consists of a chest piece. The device records heart and lung sounds and includes an analysis function that allows for interpretation of those sounds. The device has a screen on the back which displays the information. It operates in conjunction with an app on a smartphone which displays “touch points” on the body. The results can be sent to a patient’s doctor through the app.
Portland Hospitals Tested the Device
Several hospitals in Poland, have tested the device. An anechoic chamber of Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland, also tested the device to prove that it stands up to its claims. StethoMe can also be used to monitor respiratory diseases like COPD and asthma.
The developers of StethoMe were this year’s European winners of the BioTech Award at the Startup World Cup & Summit.
Image Copyright: <a href=’https://www.123rf.com/profile_andreypopov’>andreypopov / 123RF Stock Photo</a>
Node Smith, ND, is a naturopathic physician in Portland, OR and associate editor for NDNR. He has been instrumental in maintaining a firm connection to the philosophy and heritage of naturopathic medicine among the next generation of docs. He helped found the first multi-generational experiential retreat, which brings elders, alumni, and students together for a weekend camp-out where naturopathic medicine and medical philosophy are experienced in nature. Four years ago he helped found the non-profit, Association for Naturopathic ReVitalization (ANR), for which he serves as the board chairman. ANR has a mission to inspire health practitioners to embody the naturopathic principles through experiential education. Node also has a firm belief that the next era of naturopathic medicine will see a resurgence of in-patient facilities which use fasting, earthing, hydrotherapy and homeopathy to bring people back from chronic diseases of modern living; he is involved in numerous conversations and projects to bring about this vision.
