Electronic stethoscopes: Taking the pulse of the rapidly developing market.

A stethoscope draped around the neck or placed in the ears of a nurse or doctor is a common sight in clinics and hospitals across the country. Many of us will be familiar with these acoustic devices, which, despite incremental improvements, have changed little in terms of design and sound quality since the early 1800s.

Patients often view the stethoscope as a simple device; this belies the complexity and skill required to interpret sounds amplified through a traditional acoustic stethoscope correctly. This information is useful, but many clinicians, particularly those who aren't experienced cardiologists, will often need to refer their patients on for expensive tests and expert consultations.

New, electronic stethoscopes are introducing a step change in the ways in which medical professionals diagnose patients and share medical data with one another. Innovative companies are bringing the power of modern technology more usually associated with high-end smartphones to this essential medical device. The potential of these exciting new technologies has been recognized outside of the healthcare sector, for example, in 2009 Popular Science magazine awarded their prestigious 'Innovation of the Year' award to the new Littmann Electronic Stethoscope Model 3200.

An electronic stethoscope operates by digitizing and amplifying sounds from the patient's body. The ability to amplify sounds is especially useful for clinicians who are hard of hearing and for those medical professionals who conduct field work or need to take readings in noisy environments. Most electronic stethoscopes allow clinicians to link the device to sound and visual projection units, allowing multiple medical experts to review the clinical data at the same time. Clinicians do not even need to be in the same room as the patient and their colleagues; conferencing platforms allow experts across the world to see and analyze data at the same time.

The new developments in electronic stethoscope technology also allow clinicians to save patient data. This allows other medical experts to assess the data at a later date, and for the clinician to reliably compare and contrast readings from the same patient across assessments, whether they are hours, days or even years apart. This ability to create precise reference points for individual patients can give clinicians clear indications as to whether a course of treatment is yielding the desired results, or whether a different intervention is required.

The utility of electronic stethoscopes was further highlighted during the recent Ebola outbreak. Traditional acoustic stethoscopes could not be used by clinicians wearing proactive equipment, as they could not simultaneously hold the device to their patients and wear the earpieces through their masks. Electronic stethoscopes were used to take readings that were safe and accurate, even in the noisy isolation wards.

When choosing which electronic stethoscope to purchase, clinicians will want to consider a number of key factors. The storage capacity for recorded readings is significant, as is the manner in which these recordings can be accessed. Some devices pair with a USB dongle and need to be attached to a computer to access the data. More modern electronic stethoscopes are starting to use Bluetooth technology, cutting out inconvenient intermediate steps to access the data and allow a wider range of devices, including smartphones and tablets, to display the information real time.

Clinicians considering upgrading to an electronic stethoscope may be interested in the digital attachments for traditional acoustic stethoscopes manufactured by Eko. These provide a broad range of functionality, including an app (free to use for small practices) that allows data to be viewed on smartphones.

Electronic stethoscope manufacturers are continually looking at how they can build upon the advances already made in amplification and data collection. Advances in cloud computing have led some companies to explore how they can collect data from readings to build a library of results. Big data sets would give clinicians a huge number of cases to compare their current patients with, giving them clear guidance as to what might indicate unhealthy heart activity. It will also provide researchers with invaluable data for use in designing and testing new treatments. These will include algorithms that will use the readings from clinicians' electronic stethoscopes to automatically detect and highlight possible abnormalities for further medical consideration.

The ability to digitally transmit and save patient's readings with new electronic stethoscopes is in step with the current trends towards more efficient and remote diagnoses and treatments. The ability to assess patients remotely reduces the cost and stress involved in traveling to large hospitals and will bring together medical experts with patients in rural or developing communities.

These developments in electronic stethoscope capabilities are not designed to replace the clinician. Rather, they provide experts with a wider range of more accurate and convenient tools; effectively using digital technology advances to augment the expertise of the medical professionals using them. Electronic stethoscopes provide the clinician with precise, timely information. They improve experts' ability to diagnose and care for their patients, reduce inefficiencies and costs and are part of a growing trend towards remote treatment, ensuring that patients can access the best medical care regardless of where they live.