SUNNYVALE, Calif.—May 31, 2016 – i–Human Patients, Inc. (IHP), a technology company for the health care professional development and assessment market, today announced the June 6 availability of approximately 300 high–fidelity cardiac auscultation sounds and phonocardiograms. With this addition, IHP seeks to improve the practice of cardiac auscultation, patient assessment, and diagnostic reasoning skills.
These sounds and phonocardiograms are incorporated into existing IHP cardiac-related cases, and are also available for inclusion in new cases by users of their point-and-click authoring systems.
What is unique about these sounds?
The sounds are edited from a library of over 30,000 sounds recorded over Dr. W. Proctor Harvey’s lifetime. The sounds represent a broad range of cardiac pathologies, are of high fidelity, and were recorded at multiple patient precordial sites – thus providing an accurate representation of how given pathologies sound at different sites. Other available cardiac auscultation recordings provide only a limited range of pathologies, at only one precordial site and are often synthesized.
Why is cardiac auscultation still important?
A cardiac examination includes observation (for example, of skin pallor, jugular veins, etc.); palpation of the precordium and arterial pulses; and auscultation of the heart. Despite advances in technology such ultrasonic and Doppler imaging, cardiac auscultation still provides important clinical information not obtainable by other sources. Moreover, experienced examiners can make a definitive diagnosis based on cardiac auscultation without resorting to more expensive testing modalities.
What sounds and phonocardiograms are available?
Sounds represent the following conditions, and include recordings from up to five different precordial sites for each condition:
- Aortic Ejection Sounds
- Aortic regurgitation – bicuspid Aortic valve
- Aortic regurgitation (AR) – mild, moderate, severe, and with bicuspid aortic valve
- Aortic Stenosis (AS) – mild, moderate, severe; and include carotid, clavicular, supraclavicular, and suprasternal notch locations
- Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)
- Austin Flint murmurs
- Bruits – abdominal, carotid
- Ebsteins anomaly
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
- Innocent systolic murmurs S2, Stills murmur
- Left bundle branch block (LBBB) with split S2
- Loud S1
- Mitral regurgitation (MR) – moderate, severe, advanced with pulmonary hypertension, ruptured chorda tendinea
- Mitral stenosis (MS) – Loud S1 normal 3rd, with opening snap, with rumble
- Mitral valve prolapse (MVP), with click in late systole, click murmur syndrome, inspiration versus expiration, late systolic murmur without click, clicks in mid–to–late systole, click then murmur and more clicks, whoop, with arrhythmia
- Normal Heart Sounds
- Normal S3 – High Cardiac Output
- Normal S4 – High Cardiac Output
- Normal Splitting of S1
- Normal Splitting of S1 and S2
- Normal Splitting S2
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
- Pericardial friction rubs, knock sounds
- Pericardial knock sound
- Pericarditis
- Pericarditis stenosis
- Physiologic S3, swimmer
- Pistol Shot with Quick Rise Pulse
- Pulmonic stenosis, with ejection sound
- Right bundle branch block (RBBB) with wide fixed split S2, with first degree AV block
- S3 Gallop, S4 Gallop, S3 and S4 Gallops
- Several patients with coarctation of the aortic
- Soft S1
- Summation Gallop
- Systolic murmur secondary to fever, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, pregnancy, conditioned athlete, thyrotoxicosis
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Tricuspid regurgitation (TR)
- Tricuspid stenosis (TS), Tricuspid stenosis (TS) with mitral stenosis (MS)
- Ventricular septal defect (VSD) – small, medium
The sounds are licensed from Laennec Publishing Co., Inc. and David C. Canfield, W. Proctor Harvey Teaching Professor, Professor of Medicine and Cardiology, Harvey Society, the Georgetown University School of Medicine.
About W. Proctor Harvey
Dr. W. Procter Harvey was a professor of medicine at Georgetown University where he led the cardiology division for 32 years. He was considered the most skilled practitioner of auscultation during his lifetime, and he could diagnose a broad range of common and complex cardiac pathologies through cardiac auscultation, history and physical examination alone. His patients included four presidents and many diplomats and members of congress. He trained hundreds of cardiologists who now practice at leading medical centers across the United States.
Together with colleagues David C. Canfield and Dr. Julius Bedynek, they recorded, edited, and produced the world’s largest and highest quality library of auscultation sounds. David Canfield worked with Dr. Harvey for 45 years.
About i–Human Patients, Inc.
i–Human Patients, Inc. develops educational and competency assessment technology for the student and practicing health care professional market, including its flagship i–Human Patients® platform, launched in November 2012. Cloud–based and interactive, the i–Human case player improves and evaluates competencies using active learning strategies and content developed by almost 100 leading educators.
IHP is collaborating with the Reliance Foundation, an Indian not-for-profit organization that has provided generous support to enhance the i-Human platform and add numerous new simulated patient encounter cases. The partnership aims to provide high-quality virtual health care training to students and clinicians, and equip health care professionals to achieve greater standards of excellence. IHP has also received financial support from the American Medical Association and the National Science Foundation. i-Human Patients, Inc. is based in Sunnyvale, California.
Contact:
Priss Benbow
Benbow International PR
415/987–7747
[email protected]
i–Human Patients is a registered trademark of i–Human Patients, Inc.
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