How does the digital stethoscope work?
A digital stethoscope has been placed on the outer part of the cuff so that it will be in contact with the side of the chest when you will get in position for your heart sounds recording measurement. The BPM Core should be placed on your left arm. The device will listen to heart sounds for 20 seconds and detect if there is a risk of valvular heart disease.
Is it a medically-approved recording?
This recording is a big innovation and has received CE clearance for medical devices. BPM Core is currently under review to be FDA cleared.
What can I learn from this recording and how can I act on it?
The BPM Core tells users if there is a risk that they could have valvular heart disease, and encourage them to visit their cardiologist. The earliest the disease is diagnosed, the better the cardiologist can follow the evolution and eventually plan a surgery when needed.
Note: You will initially need 5 successful measurements before receiving the results of your stethoscope recordings. If you didn’t take ECG and heart sounds recordings during the last 6 months, you will have to follow this process again.
Results you may see
Several measurements are needed in order to give a precise analysis of your heart sounds. You can see the number of measurements you’ve taken in the Withings Withings App.
- Normal heart sounds: Your heart doesn't show evidence of valvular heart disease.
- Signs of valvular heart disease: Your heart sounds may show signs of valvular heart diseases.
- Inconclusive: An inconclusive result means the recording can't be classified. This can happen for many reasons such as too much noise in the signal, or due to a wrong position of the stethoscope.
Please note that an ECG is needed for the heart sounds analysis. This is why an inconclusive ECG will lead to an inconclusive heart sounds report.
Please, consult your doctor if your heart sounds show evidence of valvular heart diseases or if you feel shortness of breath, heart pains or palpitations.