Towards a computer-aided diagnosis by means of phonocardiogram signals

A medical instrument for phono-cardiac signals acquisition and analysis is described in the paper. The system proposed is based on an electronic stethoscope with enhanced performances in environmental noise reduction, and a software tool able to reproduce, visualize and analyze the heart sounds. The recorded data can be collected and stored in patient- associated files, to build up a clinic history and to allow further consultation. A demonstrator of the system has been realized. Experimental results show clear improvements in the signal to noise ratio of the acquired sound. The proposed software tool can be used to assist physicians with the detection of basic heart diseases.