Diacoustic Medical Devices (Pty) Ltd
Diacoustic Medical Devices (Pty) Ltd in cooperation with Stellenbosch University and expert support from many medical practitioners in the industry, has developed decision support software, and registered an ISO-13485 device called Sensi that can assist a medical examiner during a paediatric patient’s heart auscultation (listening to heart sounds). Diacoustic did not attempt to reinvent the wheel, but rather to use a tool that doctors are familiar with and have used for over 200 years, namely the stethoscope.
By combining old and modern technologies, they have created a computer-aided auscultation (CAA) device called Sensi which is cost effective, more advanced and accurate in determining whether a child has a pathological or an innocent heart murmur. This can save not only the patient from direct and indirect costs, but also give doctors the opportunity to enhance their clinical practice and have confidence in their cardiac diagnosis, thereby enhancing trust in the patient-doctor relationship.
Sensi software used in combination with a Welch Allyn elite electronic stethoscope as well as an ECG device digitally captures the patient’s heart sounds and analyses them on the computer. The computerised software detects heart sounds of certain frequencies and intensities, specifically those known to be produced by the heart under both normal and abnormal circumstances. Sensi identifies and classifies basic heart sounds and murmurs in conjunction with the ECG device and provides a full summary of the findings in a user-friendly format, easy to read and to interpret. It allows the doctor to almost have the accuracy of a paediatric cardiologist when it comes to interpreting the results.
This is not only the future of heart auscultation, but a new level of defective cardiac diagnosis is anticipated as GPs, paediatricians and/or mid-wives now have a visual representation of what they hear and think and can give patients proper and sensitive cardiac diagnosis at the point of care. It is important for doctors to detect any unusual noises and to diagnose and treat problems before they become life threatening, and for parents to be aware of the condition of their children’s growing hearts.
Delayed recognition of congenital heart defects may have serious long-term consequences for paediatric patients, thus Sensi provides effective screening that will:
- Provide physicians with clinical decision support and increase their confidence in cardiac diagnosis;
- Improve interpretation of heart sounds;
- Minimise incorrect diagnoses;
- Reduce costs associated with unnecessary referrals to paediatric cardiologists.
Contact Thys Cronje for more information on Sensi.
