New Approach to Heart Sound Screening in Children by Analog-Digital Circuitry

• Published in: Public health reports (1896) 1965-09, Vol.80 (9), p.761-770
• Main Authors: Durnin, R E, Glassner, H F, Jorgensen, C O, Fyler, D C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Cardiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Computers; Computers, Analog; Electrocardiography; Grade 1; Heart; Heart auscultation; Heart Auscultation - instrumentation; Heart Defects, Congenital - diagnosis; Heart diseases; Heart Diseases - diagnosis; Heart murmurs; Heart sounds; Humans; Mass Screening; Ventricular heart septal defects
• ISSN: 0094-6214
• DOI: 10.2307/4592533

In a new approach to analysis of heart-sound patterns by electronic computer circuitry (analog-digital computer), heart sounds of 708 children were analyzed by the unit's analyzing circuitry. Four hundred thirty-eight children had normal heart sounds and functional heart sounds according to the cardiologist's interpretations. The unit recorded 5.9 percent false positives and 1 false-negative case. Two hundred seventy children had heart disease or suspicious murmurs. In this abnormal group, 2 percent false negatives were recorded by the analyzing circuitry. For four of the six false negatives, biphasic R or negative R was recorded by the ECG timing lead. Overall, 0.4 percent false negatives were recorded for the total group of 708. The initial study indicated that screening for abnormal or suspicious heart sounds by means of an analog-digital computer is possible. Good correlation was noted between the cardiologist's interpretation and computer analysis of specially programed modalities of analysis, namely systole, diastole, and splitting of the second sound.