Stethophone is an advanced software as a medical device (SaMD) that turns smartphones into medical-grade stethoscopes, and allows people to capture, analyse, and share critical heart health data with medical personnel from the comfort of any location
Sparrow introduces Stethophone software. (Credit: jesse orrico on Unsplash)
Canada-based software-as-a-medical device company Sparrow BioAcoustics has introduced Stethophone, an advanced software that turns smartphones into medical-grade stethoscopes.
Stethophone is the latest advancement in personalised heart health that allows people to capture, analyse, and share critical heart health data with medical personnel from any location.
It works by harnessing the built-in microphone of a smartphone to capture the nuanced sounds of the heart and filter them using complex bioacoustics engineering.
The filtered sounds would provide clear, medical-grade diagnostic signals, a few of them at the outermost edges of human auditory perception.
With widespread adoption, bioacoustics technology is anticipated to enable the detection and diagnosis of routine and difficult cardiac conditions sooner and with more ease, said Sparrow.
Sparrow BioAcoustics CEO Mark Attila Opauzsky said: “We are at the forefront of a revolution in personalized heart health. Stethophone embodies our commitment to provide everyone with the power, agency and access to fight heart disease right in their own hands.
“Launching on Valentine’s Day symbolizes our dedication to heart health and the love and care we invest in our products and the people they serve.”
Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Stethophone, initially for use by medical professionals in the US and later for use by consumers.
Stethoscope becomes the first FDA-approved software-as-a-medical-device (SaMD).
In addition to advanced bioacoustics technology, Sparrow also offers advanced visualisations that enable medical practitioners to interpret the diagnostics originating from the device.
Also, the visualisations help identify patterns and anomalies that may not be easily discernible by conventional cardiac diagnostics, and potentially enhance diagnostic accuracy.
Sparrow is looking towards the development of the next version of Stethophone, which explores integrating artificial intelligence (AI) functionalities into bioacoustics engineering.