stethoscope
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FDA clears algorithms that detect heart murmurs and AFib
The FDA just granted clearance to a suite of algorithms that could help healthcare providers in the US more accurately screen for heart conditions during routine physical exams. The algorithms, developed by Eko, can help detect both heart murmurs, indicative of valvular or structural heart disease, and atrial fibrillation, or AFib, which can lead to blood clots, strokes, heart failure and other complications.
The FDA is fast-tracking an algorithm that screens for heart failure
Today, the FDA granted "breakthrough status" to an algorithm that could make screening for heart failure more accessible -- both in traditional clinics and telehealth settings. The algorithm uses a deep neural network developed by digital health company Eko and Mayo Clinic. With as little as 15 seconds of electrocardiogram (ECG) data, it can identify Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF), a measure that's commonly used to diagnose patients with heart failure.
ICYMI: Self-healing plastic, Star Wars gear and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-241742{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-241742, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-241742{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-241742").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We are seriously in awe of the scientific discovery that came from studying squid. Researchers developed a plastic that can reform, no weaker, after getting cut in half-- just so long as water is applied to it. And if you have a couple hundred dollars to blow, you can use it to buy an alarm clock that syncs with Spotify to gently ease you in and out of sleep with a matching glowing light. Also check out the new smart stethoscope product for medical professionals, allowing them to record the heartbeats they hear, then analyze the sounds in an app.
Your doctor may soon check your heart with a smartphone
The stethoscope, invented 200 years ago because a French doctor was too embarrassed to put his ear directly against a woman's chest, is finally getting a digital upgrade. A device called the Eko Core, which attaches to a regular stethoscope, has just been approved for medical use by the US FDA. It amplifies and records the sound signals transmitted by the ubiquitous medical devices, then sends the sound waves wirelessly to an iPhone app. From there, doctors can record the waveform and either listen to it later or compare it to a future visit to test the effects of a treatment. It will also be handy as a teaching too for medical students.
15-Year-Old inventor shows off iPhone-powered Steth IO stethoscope to Jimmy Fallon
15-year-old CEO Suman Mulumudi, along with his father and cardiologist Mahesh Mulumudi, have developed a working stethoscope that is powered by your iPhone or Android smartphone. The iPhone fits into a case with a diaphragm -- similar to that on a regular stethoscope -- that captures the sounds of a beating heart. The sound is routed through a channel that directs it to the iPhone's microphone. An associated app can then record the heartbeat sounds and display the individual heartbeats on the smartphone's display. Mulumudi recently showcased the Steth IO on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as part of the show's "Fallonventions" segment, which is sponsored by GE and used to showcase young inventors. Mulumudi and his father are developing this stethoscope, along with LesionSizer, a device that reduces unnecessary stents in angioplasty, as part of a startup company called StratoScientific. StratoScientific recently won first place at the recent WTIA Spring First Look Forum, beating out 14 other startups.
Heartbeat visualizer lets your ticker power a light show (video)
It may look like something that'd be at home in iTunes, but this visualizer developed by NYU student Phan V is linked to something even more unique to you than your music collection. With the aid of a mic'd up stethoscope, it's able to visualize a person's heartbeat in a manner that has quite a bit more punch than the usual means -- the person's pulse rate determines the speed of the animation, while the volume of the heartbeat captured determines the brightness. Practical? Maybe not, but you can check it out in action in the video after the break.
Littmann Electronic Stethoscope lets docs record, analyze heart rhythm
We didn't even know there was such a thing as an "auscultation workflow" until we first encountered the FreedomScope, a Bluetooth-packing untethered stethoscope. The 3M Littmann Electronic Stethoscope also relies on Bluetooth for wireless communications, but its purpose is somewhat different. While it looks (and for the most part acts) just like a normal stethoscope, it also has noise canceling / sound augmenting technology alongside the ability to record heart and lung sounds, which may then be analyzed using the bundled Zargis StethAssist software. It's a bit on the pricey side at $379, but should be welcomed with open arms by collaborating diagnosticians and avant-garde concert bootleggers. [Via MSN Money; Thanks, Will]
FreedomScope wireless stethoscope pitter patters over Bluetooth
While we're still on the fence with the name -- we can't decide if the urge to call it the FrenchScope is a good or bad thing -- there's no hating on the tech, a simple as it might be. The FreedomScope is just like a normal stethoscope, minus the bothersome tube part. Freed from tethers by a little bit of Bluetooth magic, the FreedomScope allows first responders to diagnose folks in viral, biological, chemical or nuclear emergencies that require hazard suits or other separation on the part of the health care personnel. The auscultator, if you will.
iPod Stethoscope
Okay, this is not your everyday iPod accessory. Thinklabs is bundling their ds32a Digital Stethoscope with a XtremeMac MicroMemo and a 2GB iPod nano to create a digital stethoscope recording system for $495. In fact, it looks like a pretty good deal since the stethoscope by itself runs $445 (with the same warranty).One thing I don't understand, though, is why they bundle the MicroMemo for the full-size iPod rather than the one for the nano.[Via Endgadget]
