The Renaissance of Auscultation

Auscultation has long been as much art as science

HD Medical’s new HD Steth seems to tip the balance toward the latter. The device builds on the company’s ViScope, but more closely resembles a traditional stethoscope. Its earpiece transmits hifi audio, while the chestpiece includes a digital readout of heart rate and ECG leads. It uses a Bluetooth connection and dedicated application to display and analyze ECG and PCG signals in real time on a smartphone. It also can identify heart murmur waveforms. The app can store patient data and send it to other physicians or an electronic medical record system.