MP3 players as stethoscope replacement?

[Dustdevil]

Alberta researchers test recordable MP3 players as stethoscope replacement

17/09/2007 5:15:00 AM

(CP) - The stethoscope has long been one of the most familiar trappings of doctors and nurses. But in future, medical professionals may more commonly be seen sporting an MP3 player as they do rounds.

HELEN BRANSWELL

Yes, that's right, an MP3 player. And no, it won't be for bopping to tunes. A team of researchers from the University of Alberta is exploring whether the popular music players could be the stethoscope of the future, a replacement for an instrument recognized as not the most effective of tools in the medical toolbox.

Dr. Neil Skjodt, a respirologist, and Bill Hodgetts, an audiologist, have been testing MP3 players with built-in microphones to determine whether they might produce clearer, more recognizable lung sounds.

"The quality, clarity and purity of the loud sounds were better than I have ever heard with a stethoscope," Skjodt said in a release.

Skjodt was scheduled to present preliminary findings of the work Monday at the annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society in Stockholm.

Discerning chest or heart sounds through a stethoscope is more of an art than a science. Recent studies have shown that some medical students have to listen to certain clinical sounds up to 500 times in order to be able to recognize one from the other.

Skjodt tested respiratory specialists in training to see if they had more accurate results with lung sounds recorded on an MP3 player. He said they were better at recognizing common combinations of breath sounds and wheezing using the device, though more subtle sounds were still a problem.

Skjodt and Hodgetts intend to provide subjects with reference recordings - a library of chest sounds in MP3 format - that helps them learn to differentiate one from another. And they are studying whether the devices could help doctors listening for heart and bowel sounds as well.

In an interview, Skjodt said MP3 players offer a variety of options that stethoscopes don't. Sounds can be recorded and filed for future comparison. MP3 files could also be transmitted over the phone or via the Internet, allowing distant experts to help analyze a problem in, say, a remote setting.

The devices are inexpensive, and can hold medical podcasts or be used as a recorder for dictating notes.

Frans de Jongh, a respiratory physiologist at the University of Amsterdam's Academic Medical Centre, says there's merit in the idea.

"Yes, there is certainly some utility to explore this," he said from Stockholm, where he is attending the congress. "(But) the difficulty is the interpretation of recorded sounds."

De Jongh said even if the sounds produced by an MP3 player are clearer, the fact remains that human ears must interpret what they mean.

"The difficulty is some may have a sound that you think . . . 'This is wheezing, this should be an asthmatic person' and then you measure by the gold standard, a spirometry test, and then you see that it's not the case," de Jongh said.

Spirometry uses an instrument to measure lung function.

[FireMedic65]

Haven't there been electronic stethoscopes around for awhile? They are capable of recording audio for further use later... although they don't play music or anything, but they are capable of listening in real time.. unlike the mp3 player where you have to record, then listen...

Seems to me like this could be making things more difficult?

[mrmeaner]

Well, as long as they come in tactical black...

[mrmeaner]

Well, as long as they come in tactical black...

[mrmeaner]

Sorry for the stuttering problem.

[FireMedic65]

Can I play videos while listening still?

[AZCEP]

Haven't there been electronic stethoscopes around for awhile? They are capable of recording audio for further use later... unlike the mp3 player where you have to record, then listen...

If the MP3 is being considered it will only be a matter of time until the stethescope manufacturers will build it into their devices. The electronic stethescopes can record the sound when connected to an outside device, which tends to make them a bit ungainly for normal use.

Having the option of playback would be extremely useful for some of the more subtle things that we might miss. Being able to reproduce what you heard for someone else later might help justify treatments as well.

[FireMedic65]

ah, ok... wasn't aware you needed acessories!

can't wait to buy my iscope!!

[AZCEP]

It's not so much a need for an accessory, but more to show someone later what you actually heard. Similar to using camera phones to document vehicle accidents, or injuries before you cover them up.

It becomes a matter of gathering information to show why you do something. Technologically enhanced CYA, perhaps.

[FireMedic65]

sorry, poor attempt at sarcasm to the materialistic world we live in:)