Development of technical means of auscultation.

Abstract

In everyday medical practice, the classical method of auscultation is used to diagnose almost the entire spectrum of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. The history of the creation and development of auscultation tools (stethoscope, phonendoscope, microstethoscope) is described, the analysis of existing technical means for the behavior of classical auscultation is carried out. The basic requirements for devices for general purpose auscultation are most fully met by the stethophonendoscope, a binaural device with combined stethoscopic and phonendoscopic heads. The main characteristics of stethoscopes produced by leading global manufacturers are given. An assessment of the prospects for digital (digital) stethoscopes is given. A digital stethoscope can transform acoustic signals into electronic ones that can be further enhanced for optimal listening. In addition, electronic signals can be further digitized using a personal computer or laptop. The emergence of a digital stethoscope means a new stage in the development of the classical method of auscultation to identify the pathology of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The underlying technologies allow the use of a digital stethoscope for the needs of telemedicine.