Tuesday, June 06, 2023
Sparrow BioAcoustics has recently announced that it has obtained clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its software, which enables medical professionals to utilize smartphones as stethoscopes.
Sparrow BioAcoustics has recently unveiled the Stethophone™ application, a revolutionary software that transforms smartphones into powerful medical stethoscopes. Using advanced acoustic processing, the downloadable application enables smartphones to capture highly sensitive cardiac and pulmonary sounds.
What sets Stethophone apart is its simplicity. There is no need for additional devices, charging, or complex connections. Medical professionals can simply hold their smartphone to a patient's chest to capture heart and lung sounds without any attachments.
The CEO of Sparrow BioAcoustics, Mark Attila Opauszky, explained the company's mission to facilitate large-scale and swift detection of cardiac and pulmonary symptoms, regardless of the location. Opauszky emphasized the immense diagnostic potential embedded within chest sounds and the importance of finding practical ways to leverage this data for the benefit of patients. Stethophone effectively eliminates the main obstacles in achieving this goal.
Trials conducted at the Eastern Health Medical Centre of Newfoundland demonstrated the superior diagnostic performance of Stethophone. Approximately 70 percent of participating medical professionals rated the application as superior to other leading devices in terms of sound quality. Moreover, Stethophone showcased higher accuracy in diagnosing heart pathologies and normal heart conditions.
Dr. Yaroslav Shpak, a co-founder of Sparrow BioAcoustics, highlighted the application's ability to capture critical indicators of various progressive cardiac diseases, including gallops, murmurs, and arrhythmias. The comprehensive diagnostic information derived from heart and lung sounds enables early detection and faster treatment.
The significance of Stethophone's capabilities cannot be understated, considering that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the primary cause of death globally, accounting for 32 percent of all deaths. The prevalence of CVDs continues to rise, with almost half of all U.S. adults reported to have some form of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.
