Clear Frictionless Sound for Stethoscope Use

Introduction

This stethoscope technology with frictional noise reduction offers a critical improvement in auscultation, providing healthcare professionals with a tool that enhances sound clarity during medical examinations. With a focus on eliminating frictional noise that typically interferes with the detection of heart and lung sounds, this stethoscope enables more accurate diagnoses. For companies in the medical device industry, this technology is a valuable addition that can improve the performance of diagnostic tools and enhance patient care.

The Challenge: Reducing Noise Interference in Stethoscopes

Frictional noise is a common issue with traditional stethoscopes, especially in busy or high-motion environments such as hospitals and clinics. These background noises can obscure important diagnostic sounds, leading to missed or delayed diagnoses, particularly when assessing heart murmurs or abnormal lung sounds. Healthcare professionals require stethoscopes that can filter out these distractions to ensure that they are able to focus on the critical sounds that inform their medical evaluations. A device that addresses this issue with precision can make a significant difference in diagnostic accuracy.

Noise Reduction for Precision Auscultation

This frictionless sound stethoscope is designed to minimize the noise generated by contact with clothing or the patient’s body during use. The technology ensures that physicians and healthcare providers can listen to heartbeats, lung sounds, and other diagnostic indicators without interference, allowing for more accurate readings. The stethoscope’s ability to reduce unwanted noise while maintaining sensitivity to critical medical sounds represents a breakthrough in auscultation technology. Its user-friendly design makes it easy for healthcare professionals to perform their tasks with confidence, even in challenging environments.

Key Benefits for Healthcare Providers

For hospitals, clinics, and private practices, this technology enhances the accuracy of routine checkups and complex diagnoses by improving the clarity of critical sounds. Medical device companies that integrate this noise-reduction feature into their stethoscopes can offer a premium product that addresses a common pain point for healthcare professionals. Nurses, physicians, and emergency responders benefit from more efficient, precise auscultation, improving patient outcomes by reducing the likelihood of missed diagnoses. The enhanced clarity also leads to better patient-doctor communication, as medical professionals can confidently explain their findings.

Invest in Improved Diagnostic Tools

Licensing this frictionless sound stethoscope technology provides your organization with a unique opportunity to deliver superior diagnostic tools to the healthcare market. By addressing the challenge of frictional noise, this technology supports more accurate, efficient medical examinations, ultimately improving patient care. It’s an investment in innovation and reliability for healthcare providers, helping them to perform their jobs with greater precision and ease. This technology will position your company as a leader in the medical device industry, offering a product that sets new standards for diagnostic clarity and patient care.

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Abstract
Claims

A stethoscope is provided, comprising: a sound receiving member (12) for receiving sounds, the sound receiving member capable of transmitting sound received thereby; a head set coupled to the sound receiving member to receive sound transmitted by the sound receiving member; means for reducing frictional noise, said means associated with the sound receiving member to reduce noise caused by relative movement between a surface and the sound receiving member of the chestpiece in contact with the surface.

1. A stethoscope, comprising:

a sound receiving member comprising electronic components adapted to receive and transmit sounds;

an outer surface at least partially defined by the sound receiving member; and

means for reducing frictional noise, the means for reducing frictional noise comprising a low friction material and being coupled to at least a portion of the outer surface.

2. The stethoscope as defined in claim 1 wherein the sound receiving member further comprises an inner cavity and an opening from the outer surface to the inner cavity, wherein sound passing through the opening enters the inner cavity and the means for reducing frictional noise is associated with the opening.

3. The stethoscope as defined in claim 2, the sound receiving member further comprising a diaphragm positioned over the opening, the diaphragm having a first major surface facing into the inner cavity and a second major surface facing away from the inner cavity, the diaphragm constructed to pass sound waves of a first frequency range into the inner cavity, and wherein the means for reducing frictional noise is associated with the second major surface of the diaphragm.

4. The stethoscope as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for reducing frictional noise includes at least one of a film, a membrane, a sheet, a coating, a spray, and a collar.

5. The stethoscope as defined in claim 1 wherein the low friction material has a kinetic coefficient of friction of less than about 0.35 as measured according to ASTM D 1894-01.

6. The stethoscope of claim 1, wherein the low friction material includes at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene (“PTFE”), polyurethane, polyethylene, parylene, polyester, polypropylene, and a combination thereof.

7. The stethoscope of claim 1, wherein the sound receiving member includes an opening and a diaphragm positioned over the opening, and wherein the means for reducing frictional noise is coupled to the diaphragm.

8. The stethoscope of claim 1, further comprising a tape coupled to at least a portion of the outer surface, wherein the tape is at least partially formed of the means for reducing frictional noise.

9. The stethoscope of claim 1, further comprising:

a head set coupled to the sound receiving member to receive sound transmitted by the sound receiving member; and

tubing positioned to couple the head set to the sound receiving member;

wherein the outer surface is at least partially defined by the sound receiving member and the tubing and wherein the means for reducing frictional noise is coupled to a portion of the outer surface defined by the sound receiving member and the tubing.

10. The stethoscope of clam 1, further comprising a head set electronically coupled to the sound receiving member to receive sound transmitted by the sound receiving member.

11. The stethoscope of clam 1, wherein the sound receiving member comprises an electronic component selected from the group consisting of a transducer, microphone, and piezoelectric element.

12. The stethoscope of clam 1, wherein the means for reducing frictional noise reduces the frictional noise levels without reducing the base signal.

13. The stethoscope of clam 1, wherein the means for reducing frictional noise over the frequency range from about 10 to about 1000 Hz is effective to reduce the average frictional noise level by at least about 3 dBA.

14. The stethoscope of clam 1, wherein the means for reducing frictional noise over the frequency range from about 10 to about 1000 Hz is effective to reduce the average frictional noise level by at least about 5 dBA.

15. The stethoscope of clam 1, wherein the means for reducing frictional noise over the frequency range from about 10 to about 1000 Hz is effective to reduce the average frictional noise level by about 17 dBA.

Title

Stethoscope with frictional noise reduction

Inventor(s)

Thomas E. Drummond, Hatim M. Carim, Craig D. Oster

Assignee(s)

3M Innovative Properties Co

Patent #

7806226

Patent Date

October 5, 2010