Design and development of a digital stethoscope encapsulation for simultaneous acquisition of phonocardiography and electrocardiography signals: the SmartHeart case study

Review on the Advancements of Stethoscope Types in Chest Auscultation

Stethoscopes were originally designed for the auscultation of a patient's chest for the purpose of listening to lung and heart sounds. These aid medical professionals in their evaluation of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as well as in other applications, such as listening to bowel sounds in the gastrointestinal system or assessing for vascular bruits. Listening to internal sounds during chest auscultation aids healthcare professionals in their diagnosis of a patient's illness. We performed an extensive literature review on the currently available stethoscopes specifically for use in chest auscultation. By understanding the specificities of the different stethoscopes available, healthcare professionals can capitalize on their beneficial features, to serve both clinical and educational purposes. Additionally, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the unique application of digital stethoscopes for telemedicine. Thus, the advantages and limitations of digital stethoscopes are reviewed. Lastly, to determine the best available stethoscopes in the healthcare industry, this literature review explored various benchmarking methods that can be used to identify areas of improvement for existing stethoscopes, as well as to serve as a standard for the general comparison of stethoscope quality. The potential use of digital stethoscopes for telemedicine amidst ongoing technological advancements in wearable sensors and modern communication facilities such as 5G are also discussed. Based on the ongoing trend in advancements in wearable technology, telemedicine, and smart hospitals, understanding the benefits and limitations of the digital stethoscope is an essential consideration for potential equipment deployment, especially during the height of the current COVID-19 pandemic and, more importantly, for future healthcare crises when human and resource mobility is restricted.

The application of additive manufacturing / 3D printing in ergonomic aspects of product design: A systematic review

Additive Manufacturing (AM) facilitates product personalization and iterative design, which makes it an ideal technology for ergonomic product development. In this study, a systematic review was conducted of the literature regarding the use of AM in ergonomic-product design, and methodological aspects of the studies were analyzed. A literature search was performed using the keywords "3D print*," "additive manufacturing," "ergonomic*" and "human factors". Included were studies reporting the use of AM specifically in ergonomic design of products/prototypes including the detailing of an ergonomic testing methodology used for evaluation. Forty studies were identified pertaining to the fields of medicine, assistive technology, wearable technology, hand tools, testing devices and others. The most commonly used technology was fused deposition modeling with polylactic acid, but the overall preferred material was acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Various combinations of objective/subjective and qualitative/quantitative product evaluation methods were used. Based on the findings, recommendations were developed to facilitate the choice of most suitable AM technologies and materials for specific applications in ergonomics.