A prototype of the mobile stethoscope for telemedical application

Abstract

Acquisition of sounds propagating from the inner areas of the body has been an interest of scientists and physiologists from the early 19th century. It has been proved that bioacoustic signals constitute a vital source of information concerning the patient's condition, especially in preliminary diagnosis. This paper describes the development of a telemedical electronic stethoscope with long-term auscultation functionality. The device is integrated with a Bluetooth module as well as analog and digital outputs. We also proposed an acoustic sensor integrated with the device, which is a promising solution for wearable applications. In our experiment, we recorded various acoustic signals from different body surface areas. As a final step of this research, we performed an analysis of the recorded data to evaluate the characteristics of bioacoustics signals which constitute the basis for automated disorders recognition.