Abstract

A stethoscope is the standard clinical tool used for auscultation. It amplifies chest sounds and enables diagnosis of both circulatory and respiratory systems. However, in many emergency transportation environments, ambient noise levels in excess of 90dB prevent successful auscultation. In this paper, data is collected in a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter to analyze the inherent noise present during routine aeromedical transport. Data is gathered with a commercially available stethoscope retrofitted with an array of accelerometers and microphones. Peak acoustic noise levels are recorded in excess of 125dB and ambient vibration levels are measured to be near 0.5g RMS. The signal-to-noise ratio is much below 1 for the entire frequency range of interest in auscultation. It is shown using a combination of simulations and experimental data that existing active noise cancellation techniques using a reference microphone would be ineffective in this scenario. However, similar adaptive noise cancellation techniques using a reference accelerometer within the device would be significantly more effective at enabling auscultation.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.