AyuSynk, an IIT Bombay startup has developed a digital stethoscope that can be used for remote auscultation (listening to chest sounds), a statement from the Institute said.
Patients of COVID-19 experience shortness of breath which leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Doctors use a stethoscope to listen to chest sounds, however, this put doctor at risk of contracting the diseases.
The device stores the auscultated sound as part of the health record of the patient and shares the same with the doctors for final confirmation.
"The device is very good and much clearer than a regular stethoscope. I am using it to screen patients with coronavirus," Dr. Sudip Pandit, a pediatrician from Karnataka who recently purchased the digital stethoscope during the PEDICON conference in January 2020, said.
A statement confirmed that since the outbreak, several digital stethoscopes have been delivered to KEM Hospital in Mumbai. Apollo hospitals in Hyderabad has also requested the devices.
"AyuSynk can be attached to any conventional stethoscope, to amplify chest sounds and send them wirelessly from patients to doctors without physical tubing" said Adarsha K, founder of Ayu Devices.
The basic version of the stethoscope uses wire to transmit the data to mobile or laptop however, the advance version can do the same over the Bluetooth.
Dr. Rupesh Ghyar, SEO of BETIC who mentored the team adds, "The device allows any healthcare professional with a protective suit to approach a patient, capture lung sounds and send them for analysis to experienced doctors, thereby distributing the workload. It can help in monitoring and characterizing lung infections in severe patients of COVID."