Visual Display Stethoscope Aids Hearing Impaired Clinicians “See the Sounds”

An amplified digital stethoscope with enhanced sound representation offers diagnostic capabilities for hearing impaired professionals.

The Cardionics ViScope is a digital electronic scope that can amplify sound 30 times louder than an acoustic stethoscope, providing a visual display of the phonocardiogram or phonopneumogram to assist the listener in identifying sounds. Placing the stethoscope on the chest allows the detected heart sounds to be displayed on the screen; the visualization assists the user in identifying the position of clicks, rubs, knocks, snaps, or murmurs in the cardiac cycle. Murmurs such as aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, and mitral regurgitation are clearly seen.

Pediatric sounds including atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), and primary pulmonary hypertension are also easily identified. The system can record up to 3 sets of 5 second sound sections that can be downloaded for later viewing. Other features include calipers that allow time measurement of events such as the opening snap of mitral stenosis, an operating time up to eight hours, and a charge time of approximately five hours of the lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Users can also choose a headset option that works best with their hearing aid or cochlear implant.

The Cardionics ViScope is a product of Beyond Hearing Aids (Erlanger, KY, USA), which also offers a variety of amplified stethoscopes and visual stethoscopes for hearing aid users, as well as other useful products such as loud telephones, TV systems, and signaling devices that help people with hearing loss.

“There has been a need for a visual display of heart and lung sounds to supplement the sounds coming through a stethoscope for a long time,” said Becky Morris, a recognized amplified stethoscope specialist and owner of Beyond Hearing Aids. “A visual display stethoscope like the ViScope helps students enter a field with critical shortages and helps nurses stay on the job longer.”

Related Links:
Beyond Hearing Aids