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Development of an Electro‐stethoscope System and Design of an Optimum Filter Based on Tissue Sound Transmission for Noninvasive Early Diagnosis of Malfunction of an Implanted Mechanical Total Artificial Heart
Author(s) -
Okamoto Eiji,
Inoue Taku,
Hashimoto Takuya,
Saito Itsuro,
Abe Yusuke,
Chinzei Tsuneo,
Isoyama Takashi,
Imachi Kou,
Mitamura Yoshinori
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
artificial organs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.684
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1525-1594
pISSN - 0160-564X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1525-1594.2004.47226.x
Subject(s) - stethoscope , artificial heart , biomedical engineering , sound (geography) , transmission (telecommunications) , acoustics , filter (signal processing) , sound transmission class , heart sounds , medicine , materials science , cardiology , engineering , radiology , electrical engineering , physics
Early diagnosis of the malfunction of a mechanical artificial heart implanted in a patient who has been discharged from hospital is very important. We have developed an electro‐stethoscope system that enables the malfunction of an artificial heart to be detected from the analysis of sound signals from the artificial heart. The sound data can be transmitted to a hospital via a mobile telephone or the Internet, so that doctors can examine the condition of the artificial heart. The optimum frequency characteristics of a low‐pass filter for the elimination of ambient sound through the electro‐stethoscope casing were obtained by simulating sound transmission through tissue. We evaluated the usefulness of the electro‐stethoscope system using a goat in which an undulation pump total artificial heart had been implanted. A frequency analysis of the sound signal provided information on the degree of degradation of each mechanical component of the artificial heart. The results of this study showed that the electro‐stethoscope system is useful for the early detection of the malfunction of an artificial heart at home, and that the use of the system contributes to improvement in the quality of life of patients.