Title :
Development of a Pressure-Sensing Handle for a Stethoscope
Author :
Alphonse, Brittany ; Spiewak, Andrew ; Walder, Erik ; Comtois, G. ; Chabot, Eugene ; Ying Sun
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr., Comput., & Biomed. Eng., Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
Abstract :
Acoustic signals recorded with a stethoscope could be significantly affected by the probe-skin interface. The goal of this study was to develop a pressure-sensing device to measure and control the applied pressure at the probe-skin interface. Since placing a pressure sensor directly at the interface would block the transfer of acoustic signals, a custom-made handle was attached to the top of the stethoscope head. A handle was made of silicone rubber with an embedded pressure sensor that measures the force transferring from the hand to the stethoscope head. A microprocessor based device was also developed to provide a numerical readout of the force. This system was successfully built, providing accurate and repeatable pressure measurements. The resulting device should be useful for standardizing the applied pressure at the probe-skin interface for acoustic measurements with a stethoscope.
Keywords :
acoustic devices; bioacoustics; biomedical electronics; biomedical measurement; microcomputers; pressure sensors; skin; accurate pressure measurement; acoustic measurement; acoustic signal recording; applied pressure control; applied pressure measurement; applied pressure standardization; custom-made handle; embedded pressure sensor; force measurement; force numerical readout; microprocessor based device; pressure-sensing device; pressure-sensing handle development; probe-skin interface effect; repeatable pressure measurement; silicone rubber handle; stethoscope head attachment; Acoustics; Calibration; Force; Force sensors; Head; Pressure measurement; Stethoscope; and pressure; handle; sensor; stethoscope;
Conference_Titel :
Bioengineering Conference (NEBEC), 2013 39th Annual Northeast
Conference_Location :
Syracuse, NY
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4673-4928-4
DOI :
10.1109/NEBEC.2013.82