Local Teaching Physician Develops A Stethoscope To Simulate Body Sounds, Ideal For Teaching Facilities

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 16 Nov 2008 - 0:00 PST

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Frustrated by the lack of credible auscultation sounds for teaching physical exam scenarios, Dr. Paul Lecat of Akron General Medical Center and NEOUCOM has developed and patented his own teaching device. For the first time, abnormal sounds can be "played" on a live patient-actor in a realistic way. It can also enhance the repertoire and realism of high-fidelity mannequins, commonly used in medical training.

The Ventriloscope is a hand-held transmitter activated by the instructor or standardized patient that sends any one of 12 possible sounds to the students receiving stethoscope.

"In this way, the student hears the correct auscultory finding in real time and context which greatly adds to the realism and their retention, " says Lecat.

Developed over the past 3 years with the aid of Patrick O'Keefe Jr. of O'Keefe Electronics Inc in Wellington Ohio, the device utilizes a specialized chip made by Nordic Semiconductor of Oslo, Norway. The unique chip allows the transmitter and receiving stethoscope to communicate with each other without creating or picking up interference from other sources and uses 4Mbit/s bandwidth to deliver CD-quality uncompressed, streaming wireless audio.

The 12 wave file sounds are contained on a changeable standard SD card allowing the user to record and play any other sounds of their choice. Any heart, lung, or bowel sounds; Korotkoff (including auscultatory gaps) , vascular bruits and positionally dependent sounds can be played at the appropriate time during the physical exam.

The Ventriloscope has only been available for 2 months and is already in use by over 20 medical teaching facilities worldwide. It's versatility and ease of use allows it to be used by classroom instructors, students, and standardized patients or on Mannequins.

The Ventriloscope