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Multi-sensor stethoscope excels at detecting faulty heart valves | The device is sensitive and accurate enough that it can be used over clothing
Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a potentially fatal condition, yet it's difficult to diagnose with a regular stethoscope. A possibly life-saving new multi-sensor stethoscope is claimed to be much better at the job, with the added benefit that it can be used by just about anyone.
Developed by Prof. Anurag Agarwal and colleagues at the University of Cambridge, the flexible handheld device is about the size and shape of a drink coaster, and it incorporates not one but six vibration-detecting piezoelectric sensors. This multi-sensor design reportedly makes the device much better at detecting the telltale heart sounds associated with VHD, enough so that it can be used overtop of clothing by people with little training – possibly even by the patients themselves. "To help get waiting lists down, and to make sure we’re diagnosing heart valve disease early enough that simple interventions can improve quality of life, we wanted to develop an alternative to a stethoscope that is easy to use as a screening tool," says Agarwal.
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