Lung Auscultation Using the Smartphone-Feasibility Study in Real-World Clinical Practice

Autores da FMUP

• Cristina Isabel Oliveira Jácome

  Autor

• Maria Adelina Azevedo Amorim Cordeiro

  Autor

• José Pedro Fontoura Matias

  Autor

• Pedro Manuel Vieira Marques

  Autor

• Rute Alexandra Borges De Almeida

  Autor

• João De Almeida Lopes Da Fonseca

  Autor

• Maria Inês Ferreira Agueda De Azevedo

  Autor

Participantes de fora da FMUP

• Ferreira Cardoso, H
• Silva, S
• Redondo, MT
• Vicente Ferreira, M
• Valente, J

Unidades de investigação

• Ginecologia-Obstetrícia e Pediatria

• Laboratório Associado RISE- Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

• Medicina

• Medicina da Comunidade, Informação e Decisão em Saúde

• Recursos Comuns

  

  Investigador

  Guilhermina Maria Da Silva Rêgo

• RISE-Health

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

Abstract

Conventional lung auscultation is essential in the management of respiratory diseases. However, detecting adventitious sounds outside medical facilities remains challenging. We assessed the feasibility of lung auscultation using the smartphone built-in microphone in real-world clinical practice. We recruited 134 patients (median[interquartile range] 16[11-22.25]y; 54% male; 31% cystic fibrosis, 29% other respiratory diseases, 28% asthma; 12% no respiratory diseases) at the Pediatrics and Pulmonology departments of a tertiary hospital. First, clinicians performed conventional auscultation with analog stethoscopes at 4 locations (trachea, right anterior chest, right and left lung bases), and documented any adventitious sounds. Then, smartphone auscultation was recorded twice in the same four locations. The recordings (n = 1060) were classified by two annotators. Seventy-three percent of recordings had quality (obtained in 92% of the participants), with the quality proportion being higher at the trachea (82%) and in the children's group (75%). Adventitious sounds were present in only 35% of the participants and 14% of the recordings, which may have contributed to the fair agreement between conventional and smartphone auscultation (85%; k = 0.35(95% CI 0.26-0.44)). Our results show that smartphone auscultation was feasible, but further investigation is required to improve its agreement with conventional auscultation.

Keywords

• respiratory sounds; auscultation; smartphone; mobile applications; asthma; cystic fibrosis; crackles; wheezes