This New App Analyzes Your Voice Quality To Diagnose Congestive Heart Failure: Can It Help With Covid-19? – Forbes

Woman sits at a cafe table and communicates with telemedicine doctor by cellphone. In touchscreen, ... [+] male physician reviewing brain x-ray image. "nPatient has ability to reach telemedicine specialist remotely by mobile application. Horizontal indoors back side shot on cafe blurred background

A new app developed by an Israeli biotech start-up has shown promise in evaluating subtle changes in voice quality that detect the buildup of fluid in the lungs, an important finding associated with a chronic condition known as congestive heart failure (CHF).

Most importantly, the app offers the potential for early detection and intervention, notifying healthcare providers who can evaluate a patient and subsequently adjust medication dosing before difficulty breathing and low oxygen develop, the more serious signs associated with the condition.

Results of the study were recently presented on HFA Discoveries, a platform of the European Society of Cardiology.

Speech is personal and as such, very small changes (related to the same person) can be detected - for example, the ability of parents to notice health issues by listening to their kids," said study author Professor Offer Amir, Director of the Heart Institute, Hadassah Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel. "Today we report results of the first easy to use, non-invasive, personalised heart failure monitoring device. It requires a simple 30-second recording each day, in any language."

CHF leads to difficulty breathing as fluid accumulates in the lungs, along with noted swelling of the legs. In CHF, the heart is not able to pump effectively, leading to fluid accumulation throughout the body. The condition may be the result of coronary artery disease, untreated high blood pressure, abnormalities of the heart valves, or the result of toxins such as alcohols, drugs or infections in the heart muscle. CHF affects more than 26 million people globally and is the leading cause of hospitalization the US and Europe.

Cordio Medical, the Israeli start-up, developed the app known as Cordio HearO. It was recently evaluated in a small study involving 40 patients by Professor Amir. (Amir is also a consultant with Cordio Medical).

The study looked at 40 patients who were admitted for CHF. Each patient used the app to record 5 sentences in a standard smartphone upon admission to the hospital, and then just prior to discharge when they were clinically improved. Each recording lasted 2-5 sends in duration. The researchers found that there were subtle differences in phonation in congested vs. non congested patients.

Amir explained that the app could be used to monitor patients with CHF in the home setting. After health care providers prescribe the app, patients can then download it to their smartphone and make voice recordings when they feel well so doctors can differentiate it from times when they have difficulty breathing. In this way, they have recordings when patients are well to compare them against.

Amir said that small changes in the voice that signal the beginning of fluid accumulation generate an alert, which physicians pick up from a designated web portal.The company uses proprietary speech signal processing technology, integrated into machine learning algorithms, enabling ongoing analysis of a patients voice.

"Those with early signs of lung congestion could receive adjustments to their treatment, thereby preventing the need for hospitalization," said Amir. "As more speech samples are obtained, the model becomes increasingly sensitive to changes."

One expert not involved in the study points to the origins of medical technology for inspiration as we evaluate this new app for monitoring heart failure patients remotely.

The basis of voice in the diagnosis of heart failure is really a nod to the traditional physical exam, said Satjit Bhusri, MD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.By auscultation, or listening with the stethoscope, while patients make different sounds, known as egophony, the trained healthcare provider can diagnose signs of congestive heart failure.

Translate this to the modern era with voice recognition, artifical intelligence, and the telehealth revolution from COVID-19, and you have the the perfect ingredients for a powerful medical tool. While many scientific tests are needed to further validate this study, it represents a beginning in this new medical normal of virtual care, he added.

And with Covid-19 continuing to spread throughout the globe, the app may also offer healthcare providers the ability to monitor heart failure patients remotely.

"During the current Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals are transitioning many outpatient visits for heart failure patients to telemedicine platforms, highlighting the importance of remote monitoring to reduce the risk of exposure to coronavirus, offered Amir.

Beyond this, the question of whether the app can detect hypoxia or low oxygen levels in patients with Covid-19 monitored remotely is certainly intriguing. In addition to monitoring pulse oximetry values for patients isolated at home with diagnosed or suspected Covid-19, the option to use such an app would offer additional data as to whether patients require evaluation in the hospital setting.

One expert believes that such an app would likely not offer much promise for monitoring patients with Covid-19.

This technology measures lung congestion (fluid overload), not hypoxemialow oxygen levels and would have no obvious use in COVID patients; certainly no advantage over a pulse oximeter, said Guy L. Mintz, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Health and Lipidology, Northwell Healths Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital, Manhasset, New York.

Changes in speech pattern correlating to clinical deterioration could be a game changer in patients with weak hearts. The ability to identify early signs of decompensation in this patient population could translate into early therapeutic intervention and the avoidance of hospitalization. This technology could save a lot of money by utilizing early detection to adjust medications and avoid a costly hospitalization, added Mintz.

This is just the beginning of this type of technology and certainly is easy to use in a potentially sick population with heart failure. Heart failure has many causes but the ability to detect decompensation early with this technology is exciting!, he offered.

While lung ultrasound may allow detection and follow-up of lung lesions noted in Covid-19 pneumonia, it currently requires a skilled technologist to perform the study itself. The use of handheld point-of-care (POC) smartphone ultrasound analysis in the home setting may also allow for monitoring and image transfer. The reality of real-time analysis along with augmented reality (AR) technology embedded in specialized software may one day allow patients to submit their own ultrasound images for home monitoring. Butterfly IQ has been a leader in this space and is certainly a company to keep a close eye on.

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This New App Analyzes Your Voice Quality To Diagnose Congestive Heart Failure: Can It Help With Covid-19? - Forbes