Towards a Wearable, High Precision, Multi-Functional Stethoscope

Abstract

This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation framework of a low-power digital stethoscope using optical and electrical sensors. Without loss of generality, this framework considers applications in the detection of pathologies in neonatal cardiology, including congenital heart disease (CHD). The quest is to obtain high-quality data, which can then be fed to AI-assisted analysis at the edge. However, the assessment of a digital stethoscope on neonates is limited due to health and safety concerns or barriers. This study presents a simulation framework for assessing the quality of Phonocardiograms (PCGs), without the use of human participants. The presented stethoscope has the added advantage of minimizing artifacts associated with traditional digital stethoscopes while allowing for a small form factor and exciting potential for wearable continuous PCG acquisition.