Design Evolution and Feature Enhancement Strategies for Advanced Digital Stethoscopes

Madeeha Akbar; Sayed Shahid Hussain; Shahzad Anwar; Sheeraz Ahmed

Authors

Madeeha Akbar AI in Healthcare Lab, National Centre of Artificial Intelligence, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan
Sayed Shahid Hussain AI in Healthcare Lab, National Centre of Artificial Intelligence, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan
Shahzad Anwar Department of Mechatronics Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan
Sheeraz Ahmed Iqra National University, Peshawar

Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence, Auscultation, Cardiovascular Diseases, Digital Stethoscope, Telemedicine

Abstract

A stethoscope is a fundamental auscultation and diagnostic device that plays a major role in medication and assists in the identification of sounds inside the body to predict cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The advent of electronic and artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced digital stethoscopes is prompted by the limitations of traditional auscultation performance, such as the need for a clinician's experience, failure to detect the required sounds in noisy conditions, and the inability to store patient data. This study focuses on the evolution in the design, relative performance characteristics, and areas of future improvement of stethoscopes, including digital devices that incorporate AI. Several studies show the employment of advanced filters to acquire important auscultating frequency bands, a high-gain amplifier to boost low-frequency internal body sounds, a noise cancellation circuit to block out background noise, Bluetooth for data sharing in real-time signal processing, and syncing with other medical devices. Key features that could be introduced in future versions are adaptive frequency filters, AI-based clustering to classify the sound, remote diagnostic functionality, and an improved data storage system. Protection circuits that take the form of lithium-ion batteries, wireless modules, and processing based on a microcontroller are some of the resource components highlighted in terms of portability and efficiency. This research seeks to develop stethoscopes by incorporating innovations while managing limitations, ultimately enhancing tools for healthcare professionals.

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