A Wearable Multi-Sensor Array Enables the Recording of Heart Sounds in Homecare

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 23; no. 13; p. 6241
• Main Authors: Giordano, Noemi, Rosati, Samanta, Balestra, Gabriella, Knaflitz, Marco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.07.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Auscultation; Biomarkers; Cardiac patients; Cardiovascular disease; Caregivers; Ejection fraction; Electrocardiogram; Electrocardiography; Electrodes; Heart; Heart failure; Heart Sounds; Hemodynamics; Home care services; Home care services industry; Humans; Microphones; Patients; phonocardiography; Pulmonary arteries; Sensors; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Technology application; telemedicine; Usability; wearable sensors; heart failure; telemedicine; phonocardiography; wearable sensors; electrocardiography
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s23136241

The home monitoring of patients affected by chronic heart failure (CHF) is of key importance in preventing acute episodes. Nevertheless, no wearable technological solution exists to date. A possibility could be offered by Cardiac Time Intervals extracted from simultaneous recordings of electrocardiographic (ECG) and phonocardiographic (PCG) signals. Nevertheless, the recording of a good-quality PCG signal requires accurate positioning of the stethoscope over the chest, which is unfeasible for a naïve user as the patient. In this work, we propose a solution based on multi-source PCG. We designed a flexible multi-sensor array to enable the recording of heart sounds by inexperienced users. The multi-sensor array is based on a flexible Printed Circuit Board mounting 48 microphones with a high spatial resolution, three electrodes to record an ECG and a Magneto-Inertial Measurement Unit. We validated the usability over a sample population of 42 inexperienced volunteers and found that all subjects could record signals of good to excellent quality. Moreover, we found that the multi-sensor array is suitable for use on a wide population of at-risk patients regardless of their body characteristics. Based on the promising findings of this study, we believe that the described device could enable the home monitoring of CHF patients soon.