Computer-assisted auscultation as a screening tool for cardiovascular disease : a cross-sectional study

Cardiac auscultation is inherently qualitative, highly subjective and requires considerable skill and experience. Computer- assisted auscultation (CAA) is an objective referral-decision support tool that aims to minimise inappropriate referrals. This study evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of 2 CAA systems, Cardioscan® and Sensi®, in detecting echo-confirmed cardiac abnormalities in 79 consecutive patients referred for assessment to a tertiary cardiac clinic. CAA demonstrated suboptimal sensitivity and specificity in detecting cardiac abnormalities in children and adults. As both systems demonstrate 100% sensitivity in detecting acyanotic heart disease, and theoretically carry significant potential in resource-limited settings, further development of current technologies to improve sensitivity and specificity for clinical applications is still warranted.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Public Health and Family Medicine

Year dc:date.issued

2011

Author dc:creator

• Zühlke, Liesl

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Myer, Landon

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11714

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/11714