Pulmonary fibrosis lung sounds study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility study for gathering lung sound recordings from pulmonary fibrosis patients and healthy controls and classifying disease status using a combination of digital sound device (‘stemoscope’) and machine learning
IRAS ID
318538
Contact name
Michael Gibbons
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
This is a study of chest audio recordings obtained using a sound enhancer, in this case a Bluetooth device called a ‘stemoscope’, combined with intelligent computer-processing and analysis. It is being carried out amongst pulmonary fibrosis patients, with the aim of introducing audio monitoring into NHS care to improve diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis and remote monitoring of disease progression. Currently, there are insufficient respiratory experts and specialist equipment to meet the patient demand, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment and a shortage of specialist care following diagnosis. In this study we are aiming to make that specialist practice much more available by recording lung sounds and developing software to do the intelligent analysis. Our aim is for respiratory diseases to be diagnosed quickly and easily and also, in future, for patients to be offered the option to monitor how well they are after diagnosis in their own home. The study will involve 50 patients and 10 controls. When participants attend hospital, the research clinician will collect lung sound recordings (each about 20 seconds long) from 6 locations on the front of the chest and 6 locations on the back, while the patient breathes normally. These recordings will be saved, along with routinely gathered clinical data such as lung function results from hospital records, with an anonymous study number. After that they will be transferred securely to the digital analysis platform where they will be stored securely and anonymously for research purposes. No immediate benefits of participation in this study are anticipated. However, research will deliver benefits to others with a similar condition awaiting diagnosis. In the longer term, participants may see benefits in home monitoring of disease.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/1701
Date of REC Opinion
8 Feb 2023
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion