Telemedicine: easy breathing with AI for respiratory tract

Pneumonia, COPD or cystic fibrosis – people with such lung diseases have to consult their doctor regularly. Little children have to undergo certain measurements by the doctor, too.  In order to save people`s need to visit a doctor, telemedicine offers many ways to do examinations at home.

In the interview with MEDICA-tradefair.com Wojciech Radomski informs us about the benefit and function of the stethoscope StethoMe and the achievements they already got for it. He furthermore gives us a hint what StethoMe plans to do at MEDICA START-UP PARK.

StethoMe is the first medical diagnostic device of its kind. What can it measure?

Wojciech Radomski: The StethoMe electronic smart stethoscope is a precise medical device intended for performing auscultation of the respiratory system and heart. It also includes respiratory and heart rate measurement.

What purpose is StethoMe designed for?

Radomski: We have designed the device to tackle the problem of lacking possibilities of remote auscultations - telemedicine is unable to detect pathological sounds in the respiratory system emerging for example in pulmonary infections, bronchitis and pneumonia or to monitor chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and COPD. Moreover, there is no objective method for determining lungs condition at home. Medical diagnosis is very subjective. We want to significantly support both patients, as well as professionals in the telemedicine environment.

Who can do an examination with the smart stethoscope?

Radomski: The examination on a patient can be done by adults and by medical staff including doctors, nurses, and paramedics in particular markets.

What happens with the data recorded by the smart stethoscope?

The person, who is doing the examination on the patient, follows the instructions and steps provided in the dedicated mobile application. Then, the recorded lung auscultation sounds are analyzed by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. The patient is informed in case the device registered any abnormal sounds.

Furthermore, the results are sent to the physician’s audiovisual dashboard. This dashboard enables an advanced analysis of sounds and recordings with significant support of AI. Moreover, StethoMe AI can also act as an efficient cardiac screening solution. AI algorithms identify heart murmurs emerging in the course of disease such as aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation and mitral insufficiency.

The device has been certified in the EU as a class IIa medical device (CE 2274). The same certification class has been obtained for the AI algorithms within the scope of lung auscultation in children. The medical certification of AI algorithms is the first such certification in the world. Currently, StethoMe is working on obtaining further medical certifications for AI algorithms for the respiratory system of adults and AI algorithms for the heart.

In which cases should the smart stethoscope rather be used instead of visiting the doctor?

Radomski: StethoMe does not replace regular doctor visits. It enables efficient and more accurate diagnosis and faster contact with a medical professional, thus the visit date could be accelerated. StethoMe also enables monitoring of chronic diseases and action of drugs.

Which achievements did you already get for StethoMe?

Radomski: The device and algorithms have been certified in the EU as class IIa medical device. So far StethoMe has participated in numerous pilot projects and integrations across Europe - including France, Germany and Italy, as well as in US. You can read about StethoMe artificial intelligence algorithms in scientific publications, such as in "Practical implementation of artificial intelligence algorithms in pulmonary auscultation examination" in the European Journal of Pediatrics or in "The accuracy of lung auscultation in the practice of physicians and medical students" in Plos One as well as in "Respiratory system auscultation using machine learning - a big step towards objectivisation?" in ERS - European Respiratory Society of this year.

Why are you presenting StethoMe at the START-UP PARK at MEDICA 2019?

Radomski: We would like to present the stethoscope, how it works together with AI algorithms for children and a physician’s audiovisual dashboard. Moreover, we would tell about current projects such as cardiac AI and AI algorithms for adults for the respiratory system. The MEDICA START-UP PARK also offers us a chance to enter into potential cooperations. We are actively looking for integrations with B2B-B2C partners such as telemedicine companies, insurers as well as with medical providers.