Smart Stethoscope Helps Monitor and Diagnose Respiratory Conditions: Interview with Helena Binetskaya, CEO of Healthy Networks
LungPass, an AI-powered Bluetooth stethoscope has been developed by Healthy Networks, a company based in Talinn, Estonia. The device can analyze sounds from the lungs and help to diagnose or monitor a variety of respiratory conditions, with an initial focus on pneumonia and COPD.
The aim was to create a low-cost (the device costs as little as €89 ($105)) technology that people could keep at home and use if they suspect to be were a respiratory illness or to monitor a pre-existing condition. With many respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia, timely diagnosis and intervention is critical to avoid serious illness or death.
Having a system that allows patients to assess their own condition could be hugely valuable in this field. However, the stethoscope could also assist clinicians in identifying respiratory illnesses, as detecting and correctly spotting the subtle sounds of respiratory disease can be tricky when using a regular stethoscope.
