IoT; Stethoscope; Use Semicolon as Separator; Cardiopulmonary
Abstract
This study introduces WiStetho, a real-time Wi-Fi–enabled digital stethoscope designed to support remote cardiopulmonary monitoring while minimizing the need for direct patient–clinician interaction. Conventional auscultation tools require close physical proximity, which may elevate infection risks during disease outbreaks and constrain safe clinical practice. To address these limitations, the proposed system utilizes an ESP32 microcontroller with built-in Wi-Fi capability to capture, process, and transmit heart sound signals wirelessly to external devices such as smartphones or computers. The hardware architecture incorporates a high-sensitivity acoustic sensor, analog front-end signal conditioning, and digital filtering techniques, complemented by a custom embedded algorithm for real-time signal processing. The processed signals are visualized through the Blynk platform, enabling remote monitoring functionality. System performance was evaluated by comparing heart rate measurements obtained from WiStetho with standard reference ranges provided by the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology (ISHNE) across six distinct age groups. The results indicate proportional error values of 0.43 for infants, 0.51 for children, 0.45 for adolescents, and 0.53 for young adults, while comparatively higher deviations were observed in adults (0.60) and elderly individuals (0.64). These variations are likely influenced by physiological differences and reduced acoustic signal clarity in older populations. Overall, the findings confirm the viability of WiStetho as a cost-effective and wireless auscultation solution capable of delivering reliable real-time monitoring. The system’s efficient signal processing and stable wireless communication demonstrate strong potential for applications in telemedicine, remote healthcare, and monitoring in high-risk or resource-limited environments.