The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for determining an auscultatory diagnostic decision. Auscultation of the heart is a well-defined and standard component of physical examinations of patients, however it is a difficult procedure particularly because a stethoscope transfers only a small fraction of the acoustic signal at the chest surface to the listener's ears and filters the cardiac acoustic signal in the process. The system assists listeners by implementing a graphical user interface and voice guided protocol to record data and analyze results for the presence of heart sounds and murmurs. The results are identified in terms of standard clinical auscultatory findings which may then be used to make diagnostic and referral decisions.
Graphical user interface and voice-guided protocol for an auscultatory diagnostic decision support system