Adults and older children diagnosed with asthma have the ability to objectively assess their symptoms at home, including measuring peak expiratory flow (PEF), which indicates the amount of airflow during forced exhalation. This practice provides a comprehensive insight into their condition, facilitating the early detection of asthma relapses or unfavorable changes. Notably, a 2022 report by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) highlights that continuous respiratory sounds such as wheezes and rhonchi serve as key indicators of asthma exacerbation, particularly in children under 5 years old. Traditionally, the assessment of these symptoms has heavily relied on physicians using stethoscopes during in-person consultations, leading to subjective evaluations, especially when conducted by non-medical personnel. Unfortunately, there is currently no reliable resource recommended for families to monitor their young son’s symptoms at home.
In Poland, researchers conducted a six-month observational study involving 149 individuals with asthma who monitored their condition at home. The study aimed to identify crucial indicators for symptom recognition. The use of a home headset integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) for detection, especially in young children, was explored. While participants above five years old utilized standard certified medical devices to measure specific asthma symptoms (such as pulse oximeters for external blood oxygen saturation and peak flow meters for expiratory movement), a CE-certified AI-based home headset captured auscultatory sounds at standard chest points for all participants. Subsequently, the audio files were uploaded to a mobile app for personalized audio symptom analysis.
The AI module automatically analyzed the recordings, providing insights such as pathological auscultatory sound intensities, heart rate, respiratory rate, and inspiration-to-expiration duration ratio. Medical professionals accessed an online system to interpret the data and identify symptom occurrences. The study concluded that while employing multiple measures is beneficial, AI analysis of home headset recordings alone can effectively detect asthma exacerbations across all age groups, including young children.
Asthma stands as one of the most prevalent chronic illnesses affecting both adults and children. Although manageable with medication, asthma can deteriorate if left unattended. Early identification of asthma exacerbation is crucial for effective management and symptom alleviation. Peak expiratory flow (PEF) monitoring serves as a method for exacerbation assessment, recommended for adults and school-aged children but not advised for children under five. Despite its recommendation, assessing more personalized audio symptoms like coughing and wheezing at home may lack accuracy.
The study findings suggest that while combining various asthma measurements is beneficial, the parameters evaluated by the StethoMe AI-assisted home stethometer can enhance the accuracy of identifying bronchitis exacerbations compared to peak expiratory flow measurements. This technology can significantly improve healthcare engagement between patients and doctors, particularly in monitoring asthma in young children. An AI-assisted home headset designed for children under five could simplify asthma monitoring for parents and caregivers, enhancing the management of this chronic condition.
