Fist Sized “FONODOC” To Diagnose Heart And Lung Diseases

HD Medical Services India, Chennai recently launched an electronic substitute for the conventional mechanical and digital stethoscopes. This device called the FonoDoc is the brainchild of the founder and chairman Arvind Thiagarajan. Thiagarajan got his B.E. Electronics and Communication degree from Anna University and was mentored by former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. He got this technology patented way back in 2001.

FonoDoc is a handheld device with rubber cord and earphones, similar to that of a normal stethoscope which helps the doctor to listen to the sounds of heart. A piezoelectric sensor present in the tool records the heart’s sounds which are analog in nature. These analog signals are digitized by a programmed microcontroller which investigates the heartbeats for duration of 10 seconds. In these 10 seconds, the algorithm in the microcontroller compares the sound pattern with the normal Lub-Dub sound and the result is feedback on the screen. The same result can be printed using a thermal printer.

A healthy human produces a lub-dub sound pattern generated during the diastolic and systolic pumping respectively. In case of a disorder or irregular turbulent blood flow, some other murmuring sound is also generated by the heart. The FonoDoc is the only device which provides real-time info regarding these murmurs. A positive result means that the patient should undergo a thorough check up while a negative result indicates that the heart is working normally. The FonoDoc is different from an ECG in terms of operation because while the ECG monitors the electric activity and signals in the heart, the FonoDoc measures the different sounds in the heart. A large number of deaths in India are due to heart related diseases. The major causes for these deaths is the urban lifestyle, ignorance and lack of funds in the rural areas. The FonoDoc will prove to be a boon in these areas. It can also hear fetal heartbeats as early as in the 11^th week of pregnancy which was not possible with ordinary stethoscopes. Arvind along with a team of 20 fellow scientists have tested this gadget in various districts of Tamil Nadu and the results were encouraging. The FonoDoc is equipped with a rechargeable Lithium ion battery which can be used for about 200 examinations when fully charged. The HD team is now working on integrating the ECG in this device.