Date: Mar 01, 2012 Source: ARMY SBIR Success Story (
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In the extreme noise environment of fixed and rotary wing casualty evacuation aircraft, a critical need exists to detect normal vs. pathologic heart and breath sounds and discriminate among their components. Evaluations by the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) have demonstrated that no such capability exists whether in standard acoustic stethoscopes or electronic noise-canceling stethoscopes. Because of this capability gap, USAARL and the Medical Research and Materiel Command (MRMC) initiated development of a stethoscope for assessing heart and lung function in high noise environments. The anticipated benefits from this technology include increased capability of the medics to assess patients who are being evacuated in these environments. This same capability is needed in ground based ambulances where high background noise and vibration present challenges to hearing breath or heart sounds of patients being transported to treatment centers.
The Active Signal Technologies noise-immune A SCOPE™ enables auscultation (listening to internal body sounds) in high noise though a sensor head that combines a very sensitive noise-rejecting acoustic stethoscope with a low power Dopplertransceiver. In acoustic mode, the device provides high fidelity heart and lung sounds at background noise levels up to 95dBA. however, the cabin of a military rotorcraft typically reaches 95-115dBA. At these levels the Doppler Mode is engaged and generates clearly audible frequency shifts in response to tissue motion in the heart and lungs.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSITION
Since completing the Phase II, the program received additional funding of $1.1M through the State of Maryland economic development funds, Army SBIR Phase III advanced development funding, and Army purchase of evaluation units. The A SCOPE™ has completed FDA approval, military ruggedness testing (MILSTD 810F), airworthiness certification, reverberation chamber assessment and functional testing aboard Army helicopters and has transitioned to a commercially available product. The first shipment was deployed to Afghanistan for field evaluation late in 2011.
Ongoing sales to the Army of 500-1000 units per year are anticipated. Military and private sector funding is sought to productize the simpler, noise-rejecting acoustic mode as a highly capable inexpensive stethoscope for broad based military and civilian applications where high background noise is encountered not exceeding95dBA.
