The stethoscope is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive instruments associated with a (family) physician. Invented in 1816 by French physician René Laennec, it has hardly changed in over 200 years. Sure, Laennec's paper tube was expanded to include earplugs fairly soon, in the mid-19th century, but it wasn't until the 1960s that the stethoscope was equipped with the now still-familiar listening diaphragm in a metal “knob. And that was, until now, the greatest innovation since the invention of the stethoscope. Until now, because with the arrival and adoption of the smart Keikku, the stethoscope not only gets a completely new look, but the device is also much more user-friendly and adds legion of new diagnostic possibilities.
Thanks to the current tech revolution, with AI, apps and innovations in sound, diagnostics and software, one of the oldest medical tools is about to be radically renewed, and improved. Eko Health's AI stethoscope is a great example, but the innovations and new possibilities offered by the Keikku go much further. We recently spoke with Diana van Stijn, founder and Chief Medical Officer of Lapsi Health, the developer of the Keikku, about how this new stethoscope differs from the device that has hung around doctors' necks for more than 200 years.
New design and technology
For example, the Keikku no longer has wires that must be hung in the doctor's ear, but it works completely digitally and with wireless earpieces. And with the addition of active noise cancelation, background noise is filtered out so that it can no longer affect the analysis of the sounds. The sound can also, via a QR code, be streamed live to, for example, other doctors or recorded for later listening or sending. Of course, this is done in a secure environment and all data, and the sound, is encrypted.
The smart stethoscope is also equipped with “gesture control” for setting the (listening) volume and various functions in combination with the accompanying app. A built-in LED provides real-time feedback in different colors. Using specially developed filters, the smart stethoscope can be set up very easily for listening to specific sounds from the lungs or heart.
Listening differently, collecting and analyzing data
Lapsi Health's mission is to intensify and make smarter use of sound for diagnostics in medicine. “Through a large database of sounds, we have been able to train AI to make diagnoses “ at the point of care. By listening to sounds produced in and by the body in a different way, so much more can be learned about a patient's state of health than what has been possible with a stethoscope in the past decades. With this new information, in the future we will be able to make diagnoses (earlier) that are unthinkable with a traditional stethoscope,” van Stijn said.
With a traditional stethoscope, the patient is dependent on the doctor's hearing and interpretation. The latter can, if he or the patient deems it necessary, ask another doctor to listen in when in doubt about what exactly to hear and which diagnosis is appropriate. With the Keikku, sounds can be recorded allowing “tracking” over time. Van Stijn also sees great potential for this smart stethoscope in physician training because of the Keikku's easy operation and the option to have others “listen in”.
Easing the workload
The simplicity of use and intuitive user interface make the Keikku easy to use by all healthcare professionals. Think, for example, of nurses or doctors at a consultation center. “Often a baby or toddler will hear a heart murmur during a check-up visit. In most cases, there is nothing serious going on, but now these little patients are still referred to the hospital for a heart check.
With the Keikku, the recorded sound of the heart murmur can be transmitted to a healthcare professional who can thus listen in. Once the AI has passed CE/FDA marking it can even provide an instant diagnosis, “a specialist in your pocket” . Even better, chronic patients or the parents can record heart, or lung sounds in themselves or their child with the Keikku that can then be sent to a doctor or nurse. Remote patient monitoring can save time and thus ease the workload of zog professionals” by providing care in the right place, explains van Stijn.
FDA approval
The Keikku received US Food and Drug Authority (FDA) approval a few months ago. This means that the smart stethoscope may now actually be marketed. Meanwhile, many hundreds of Keikku are already on order, but the device is still (far) from being fully developed. The current version is certainly suitable for real-world use, but in the coming months, and years, the (AI) software will be continuously developed. “With each update, the Keikku is improved and the number of (diagnostic) features is further expanded,” van Stijn said.
