It can record your heart rate as well as detect an unborn baby’s heartbeat and, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, help doctors lessen possible exposure to infection while looking after their patients.
Sounds can acquire a life of their own. They can tell stories and bring back long-forgotten memories. Depending on what you listen or are exposed to, sounds can even make you sick or heal you. They can be both a friend and a foe.
Remember how your favorite artist singing on full volume through your headphones eased your broken heart? And anyone who has ever been on a soul-searching, solo vacation at a remote beach resort knows how the sound of waves can help calm the mind.
But sound has a more practical use on the side of science. Scientists can use it to measure distance, for instance. Doctors use their stethoscope to listen to the sounds inside your body, so that they can make valid, medical diagnoses.
Sound is also a powerful tool.
This is the idea behind the Stemoscope, which, according to its promoters, is a trailblazing healthcare device that allows a user to detect a wide range of sounds. Think of it like a stethoscope, but a more compact, and handy version.
The device, which is no bigger than a stethoscope’s head (38 mm in diameter, 11 mm thick), can be used by doctors for distance auscultations. It transmits the sounds to a smartphone, which then processes, amplifies and sends the sounds to the doctor’s Bluetooth earphones or wired earphones in real time.
Supplement to the stethoscope
While doctors still prefer to use the classic stethoscope, a Stemoscope can be a good supplement, most especially during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of many.
“As doctors, we felt the urgent need to innovate. So many of our healthcare workers have lost their lives to the pandemic,” laments Dr. Jastisse “Jast” Arnaldo T. Tejada III, a cardiologist and the general manager of SGMC Medical Equipment Importer Marketing and Services, the company that brought the Stemoscope technology into the country.
“We needed to keep our doctors safe by improving the doctor’s primary weapon, the stethoscope, but without compromising the quality of care that we give our patients. Stemoscope is the solution.”
The best thing about Stemoscope is that it’s designed for distance auscultation, which ultimately minimizes a doctor’s risk of exposure to a possible COVID-19 positive patient.
“Healthcare workers can now assess a patient from a safe distance of two meters,” says Dr. Jast. “Imagine the smallest stethoscope in the world with very huge features. It’s so compact you can put it inside your purse or pocket, like a Dr. James Bond!”
Ideal for the immunocompromised
What’s more, the sounds that the app detects can be recorded and saved on your smartphone. This is especially useful for immunocompromised individuals who need to go to the hospital for regular checkups.
“Patients can send their recorded auscultations to their doctors via email, Viber or Messenger app, from anywhere in the Philippines. This way, they’re also helping stop the spread of COVID-19 because they’re staying right at home.”
Ultimately, Stemoscope is meant for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. A professor, for instance, may use it as an educational tool in subjects where auscultatory sounds are relevant.
Durable and lightweight, Stemoscope can also be used to record important moments for posterity: The sound of your baby’s heartbeat while you’re pregnant, your awesome heart rate after an hour of an intense workout, or your pet’s heartbeat. You can even use Stemoscope to listen to the sound of a tree “drinking” water—if you’re curious like that.
Numerous local physicians have given Stemoscope their seal of approval, including doctors who have been directly dealing with COVID-19 positive patients at the Philippine General Hospital.
But the best, most heart-warming feedback, according to Jast, came from one of his patients.
“He told me, ‘Hi Doc Jast. Thank you natanggap na po namin ’yung Stemoscope (we received the Stemoscope). Big help for us, kasi lahat po kami dito may hika (as we all suffer from asthma attacks). We can now easily update our doctors without going out of the house specially at this time of pandemic.’
“I’m glad that this gadget is making a huge difference in people’s lives.”
With all the chaos that is happening around us, a simple sound could be all it takes to make our day a little bit better, brighter and more manageable.
Stemoscope is now available in Lazada. For more information about the product, visit their Facebook page Stemoscope Ph, or their website stemoscope.com.ph.
