I watched a news segment this week about the rising popularity of telemedicine. The segment profiled a doctor and showed him conducting a telemedicine visit in his home. To my surprise he was wearing a stethoscope around his neck. It got me thinking about telemedicine and stethoscopes. I asked my wife, ‘what’s he plannin’ do with that stethoscope, I ... Continue Reading about The Truth About Telemedicine and Stethoscopes
Butterfly iQ Moments – Should Med Students Have a POCUS?
During its revered white coat ceremony last week The University of California Irvine School of Medicine gave Butterfly iQ pocket ultrasound devices to its medical students. The future, it seems, belongs to POCUS (point of care ultrasound). Twitter lit up. Social sentiment pinned the Butterfly iQ as the new stethoscope. Every armchair futurist was over the ... Continue Reading about Butterfly iQ Moments – Should Med Students Have a POCUS?
Eko Core Digital Stethoscope – Analog Dressed for Digital?
Digital health startup Eko has a product that can detect murmurs more reliably than humans. At the recent American Heart Association meeting they presented a clinical study revealing the first murmur detection algorithm to outperform cardiologists. Predictably, the digital Twitterati touted the Eko Core Digital Stethoscope as the next great thing. Evidence of ... Continue Reading about Eko Core Digital Stethoscope – Analog Dressed for Digital?
Digital Stethoscopes: Analog Dressed for Digital
In the late 90’s I was pursued by a start-up that was using web-based audio for physician dictations. Doctors would record, ladies would type, and the web sat in between. During an expensive dinner with the company’s leadership I asked how this was different from recording on a dictaphone. I was met with a broad veneered smile and the incredulous reply, “C’mon Dr. ... Continue Reading about Digital Stethoscopes: Analog Dressed for Digital
The Stethoscope’s Quiet Eclipse
My concerns about the stethoscope’s future began at lunch recently among a group of doctors where it was suggested that the revered icon had evolved as an ornament of clinical medicine – an iconic relic of medicine’s past. Others around the table held firmly to the idea of the stethoscope as a critical diagnostic tool. The contrast was striking. The more I looked ... Continue Reading about The Stethoscope’s Quiet Eclipse
The Stethoscope in Room 2
Thursday is my endoscopy day at Texas Children's Hospital. Room 2 in the Endoscopy Suite is where I conduct my business. If you visit Room 2 you’ll find a stethoscope hanging on the coat hook. I started scoping here in 1994 and it’s been around as long as I can remember. Every Thursday as I wash my hands I look at the stethoscope and assume that by next week it ... Continue Reading about The Stethoscope in Room 2