Tele-auscultation support system with mixed reality navigation

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Informatics
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Tele-auscultation requires doctors to assess both auscultatory sounds and stethoscope application conditions.
• Existing systems lack intuitive guidance for remote stethoscope manipulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an information support system for tele-auscultation using mixed reality.
• To integrate audio/video streaming with intuitive stethoscope navigation.
• To evaluate the system's effectiveness in a simulated environment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized mixed reality (MR) for overlaying patient chest information (position, contact, breath).
• Incorporated e-textile contact sensors and a band-type breath sensor.
• Conducted simulated tele-auscultation experiments to assess system performance.

Main Results:

• The MR overlay for stethoscope contact condition was not sufficiently clear for navigation.
• The time-series breath phase data effectively communicated patient respiratory status to the remote physician.

Conclusions:

• Mixed reality shows promise for tele-auscultation, particularly in monitoring physiological signals like breathing.
• Further refinement of haptic or visual feedback for stethoscope contact is necessary for optimal remote examination.