An electronic stethoscope with diagnosis capability

Abstract

A means of analyzing acoustic heart sounds is described. The system analyzes heart sound data, isolating key features of the heartbeat signatures to produce a list of possible diagnoses. The system has six major components: heart beat extraction, segmentation of the heart sound cycle, extraction of murmur data, time-frequency analysis of murmurs, statistical metrics and diagnosis algorithms. Implementation of each component is discussed in detail. Diagnosis algorithms for the following events/conditions are included: heart rate, sinus arrhythmia, tachycardia, bradycardia, aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation.