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Program allows instant assessment of heart murmurs
Stellenbosch-based Diacoustic Medical Devices has developed SensiCardiac, an auscultation-based computer-aided software program aimed to help doctors instantly establish whether a child's heart murmur is pathological or physiological, without having to refer the patient to a paediatric cardiologist.
How it works
SensiCardiac is a Computer-Aided Auscultation (CAA) program that combines a stethoscope with support software to give a visual representation on a computer screen of what the physician is hearing during heart auscultation.
The software is used in combination with an electronic Stethoscope such as the ThinkLabs d32+ digital stethoscope that helps to capture the patient's heart sounds and analyses it on the computer. Using it on the latest Windows tablet will allow you to easily assess a heart murmur at the patient's bedside.
SensiCardiac assists to identify and classify basic heart sounds and murmurs and gives a full summary of the findings in a format that is user-friendly and easy to read and interpret.
It allows a doctor to analyse the patient's heart rate with an accuracy of more than 90%. This is especially useful for paediatric patients with heart rates of above 120bpm.
"More importantly, it allows doctors to diagnose and treat problems before they become life-threatening," says Dr Gerhard Schoonbee, a Caledon GP who has invested in a Sensi system.
Origins
Sensi was developed by Diacoustic Medical Devices with the assistance of Stellenbosch University's medical and engineering faculties.
The initial research was performed under the guidance of Professor PL van der Merwe of the paediatric cardiology department and Dr Mike Blanckenberg, biomedical electronics researcher and senior lecturer in electrical and electronic engineering. On 1 July 2011, Sensi received FDA approval.
Cost
SensiCardiac can be bought as a full package or the various components can be bought separately.
Cost of package: R4 450 (electronic stethoscope and software)
Software only: R2 490
For more information, go to www.diacoustic.co.za.
