A wireless stethoscope is described, having wireless sensors that are enclosed in disposable pads so that the same pads are not used on more than one patient, preventing cross-infection of patients associated with conventional stethoscopes. The present wireless stethoscope also detects pulmonary sounds and cardiac sounds, allowing the user to monitor one or the other without interference. Also described is a method for diagnosing a pulmonary condition using the wireless stethoscope.

In some embodiments, the PC-HEMT based microelectronic sensors are used in cardiovascular and pulmonary monitoring, detection and measurements of electrocardiography signals, detection of the primary heart activity signals and measurements of the central venous pressure and heart rate variability, measurements of the right and left atrium pressures, recording a phonocardiogram, detection of the S2-split phenomena, measurements of breath dynamics and lung activity diagnostics, monitoring the brain activity and measuring and monitoring electrical signals associated with an electroencephalogram, and eye pressure diagnostics.

Techniques for determining pulse transit time (PTT) and blood pressure measurements based on stethoscope data are provided. In one example, a system comprises a stethoscope component that monitors a heart and generates stethoscope data representative of a sound wave generated by the heart. The system can further comprise an analysis component that receives the stethoscope data and receives, from a photoplethysmography (PPG) component that monitors an extremity, PPG data representative of a pulse wave at the extremity. The analysis component can determine, based on the stethoscope data, a first time corresponding to closure of a tricuspid valve of the heart and can determine a PTT as a function of the first time and a second time corresponding to the pulse wave at the extremity that is determined based on the PPG data. Blood pressure measurements can be obtained from algorithms with the inputs of PTT or times determined based on the PPG data.

Techniques for determining pulse transit time (PTT) and blood pressure measurements based on stethoscope data are provided. In one example, a system comprises a stethoscope component that monitors a heart and generates stethoscope data representative of a sound wave generated by the heart. The system can further comprise an analysis component that receives the stethoscope data and receives, from a photoplethysmography (PPG) component that monitors an extremity, PPG data representative of a pulse wave at the extremity. The analysis component can determine, based on the stethoscope data, a first time corresponding to closure of a tricuspid valve of the heart and can determine a PTT as a function of the first time and a second time corresponding to the pulse wave at the extremity that is determined based on the PPG data. Blood pressure measurements can be obtained from algorithms with the inputs of PTT or times determined based on the PPG data.

In some embodiments, the PC-HEMT based microelectronic sensors are used in recording physiological and non-physiological sounds as hypersensitive microphones. Recording the physiological sounds is associated with the S1/S2 heart split phenomena and phonocardiography.

In some embodiments, a microelectronic sensor includes an open-gate pseudo-conductive high-electron mobility transistor and used for air quality monitoring. The transistor comprises a substrate, on which a multilayer hetero-junction structure is deposited. This hetero-junction structure comprises a buffer layer and a barrier layer, both grown from III-V single-crystalline or polycrystalline semiconductor materials. A two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) conducting channel is formed at the interface between the buffer and barrier layers and provides electron current in the system between source and drain electrodes. The source and drain contacts are non-ohmic (capacitively-coupled) and connected to the formed 2DEG channel and to the electrical metallizations, the latter are placed on top of the transistor and connect it to the sensor system. The metal gate electrode is placed between the source and drain areas on or above the barrier layer, which may be recessed or grown to a specific thickness. An optional dielectric layer is deposited on top of the barrier layer.

A Noninvasive Blood Pressure (NIBP) device, method, and system may employ one or more sensors configured to sense physiological changes associated with cardiovascular function and provide signals corresponding to the sensed physiological changes; one or more signal detectors to detect an ECG signal, a PPG signal, and a PCG signal from the signals provided by the one or more sensors; a computational system configured to derive signal features related to the detected signal waveforms; process the signal features to determine measurements of noninvasive blood pressure using one or more independent prediction models; and output a result of the determination.

The present invention relates to a stethoscope configured to mechanically capture chest sounds, convert those sounds into electronic wave forms, visualize the signal and analyze the wave forms using digital signal processing techniques, and use the results of the analysis to predict using artificial intelligence and machine learning based models to provide a differential diagnosis based on the chest sounds to a high degree of accuracy.

In some embodiments, an open-gate pseudo-conductive high-electron mobility transistor (PC-HEMT) includes a multilayer hetero-junction structure made of III-V single-crystalline or polycrystalline semiconductor materials. This structure includes at least one buffer layer and a barrier layer, and is deposited on a substrate layer. The PC-HEMT further includes a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) or two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG) conducting channel formed at the interface between the buffer layer and the barrier layer, source and drain contacts, either ohmic or non-ohmic, connected to the 2DEG or 2DHG conducting channel, electrical metallizations for connecting the PC-HEMT to an electric circuit, and an open gate area between the source and drain contacts. Some embodiments use non-ohmic contacts, have thickness of the top (buffer or barrier) layer in the open gate area in the range of 5-9 nm, which corresponds to the pseudo-conducting current range between normally-on and normally-off operation mode of the transistor, and have the roughness of the surface barrier layer in the range of about 0.2 nm or less.

A wireless stethoscope is described, having wireless sensors that are enclosed in disposable pads so that the same pads are not used on more than one patient, preventing cross-infection of patients associated with conventional stethoscopes. The present wireless stethoscope also detects pulmonary sounds and cardiac sounds, allowing the user to monitor one or the other without interference. Also described is a method for diagnosing a pulmonary condition using the wireless stethoscope.