A multi - channel wireless respiratory and heart sounds acquisition and processing system

Abstract

Methods and diagnostic tools used in medical examinations of cardiac and res piratory diseases have not changed significantly since they have been invented. Aus cultation is an advantageous way for physical examination due to the fact that it is a noninvasive method for patients, however, acoustic stethoscope as a diagnostic tool, is inadequate and not open for improvement because medical doctors can not record, share and standardize their patients’ pulmonary and cardiac sounds. With our new digital and wearable sound acquisition and processing system pro posed in this thesis, up to 6 channels (4 of them placed on the posterior chest and 2 of them placed on the anterior chest region on the patient’s body) pulmonary and cardiac sounds can be stored simultaneously and they can be transferred to a mobile or console application via Bluetooth connectivity that includes not only auscultation signals but also valuable information about diagnosis that consists of calculation of percentile frequencies of each channel on embedded side. Real time auscultation of each channel one by one with 3.5 mm headphone con nection, storing multiple records of multiple patients on the same device, extracting respiratory flow phase via not only a conventional method, pneumotachograph, but also with a newly designed stretch sensor interface that is suitable for wearable devices are available features within this device.