Biosignetics Corporation has developed software that can store and process digitally recorded heart sounds and help to identify heart murmurs. This can be particularly useful during the routine cardiac exam known as heart auscultation. Company continues its research and currently offers educational and non-clinical research versions. Phonocardiograph Monitor software had received FDA clearance to market in October 2004. Software can be utilized to improve the efficiency and functionality of the cardiac asucultation. With Japan breathing heavily behind - God Speed Biosignetics of New Hampshire!
(PRWEB) January 28, 2005 -- President Bush is highlighting the wave of the future in medicine — computerized records to reduce cost and errors.
"We've got 21st-century medical practices but 19th-century paperwork system," G.W. Bush said Wednesday during a visit to the National Institutes of Health.
Indeed we do. For example in cardiology and family medicine there is no established practice of keeping permanent sound data from the cardiac exam (heart auscultation).
Dr. Aubrey Leatham's (Great Britain) new classification of mid-systolic ejection murmurs versus pansystolic regurgitant murmurs was based on his graphic analysis. Leatham A: Auscultation of the heart. Lancet 1958;II:702–708, 757–765. But it changed the way clinicians approached the bedside diagnosis of valvular disease and contributed to decision making for cardiac surgery. We think that computerized analysis can definitely be helpful.
"So there's a better way to enable our health care system to wring out inefficiencies and to protect our patients.", said the President who had also visited Cleveland Clinic to promote his initiative. Cleveland Clinic is internationally known as cardiology center of excellence.
Biosignetics Corporation is revolutionizing the same field - a two century old art of heart auscultation. We offer physicians to record heart sounds digitally and to process them using what we call Visual or Digital Stethoscope Software.
The recording process was perfected by the company scientists and now allows doctors to perform digital auscultation during the regular cardiac exam. Heart sounds can be recorded in parallel and can be stored, replayed and subsequently processed to identify key features and imperfections. This process can also be utilized in telemedicine. Storage format called Heart Energy Signature is currently patent pending. Company's flagman Phonocardiograph Monitor software (BSignal) has received FDA clearance for market in October 27, 2004.
http://www.bsignetics.com/products.htm
Biosignetics had recently completed its research software that allows an effective noise removal from the digitally recorded sonograms or phonocardiograms (wave sound files). "Noise reduction procedure can help us to effectively deal with the practical issues that slow down electronic stethoscope acceptance by the medical community," indicated Dr. Vladimir Polyshchuk, Biosignetics co-founder. "We can work with low quality sound recordings and extract maximum amount of useful information from them," he added.
Noise removal method developed by Biosignetics is unique, because it allows keeping all the useful content of the signal and does not alter the shape of the heart sound signal. Right now company is testing this technique while using different electronic stethoscopes: Welch Allyn, Meditron, Littmann, i-Stethos, Babe Monitor.
Japaneese medical researchers are now also promoting a digital device -- a "visual stethoscope" -- that would allow doctors to see as well as hear heart sounds, with the additional advantages that the output could be stored, attached to patient records and reviewed by more than one doctor.
"This would make the information we get from heart sounds more objective," says Dr. Hiroshi Makino of Hamamatsu University in Hamamatsu City, Japan. "Now, I listen and then you listen, but we may hear different things or disagree. With this technology, we can reach a diagnosis through a consensus of many doctors."
Biosignetics Corporation is looking for additional VC funding, well recognized volunteer PR speaker and medical researchers and physicians to work on collaborative projects.
Research donations are also accepted.
God Speed Biosignetics!
Additional relevant newslinks:
http://www.bsignetics.com/news.htm
A New Digital Stethoscope
Movers and Shakers
New Heart Research Poised to Help Millions
Heart Auscultation
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