Evaluation of remote stethoscopy for pediatric telecardiology

Digital Transformation in the Diagnostics and Therapy of Cardiovascular Diseases: Comprehensive Literature Review

BACKGROUND

The digital transformation of our health care system has experienced a clear shift in the last few years due to political, medical, and technical innovations and reorganization. In particular, the cardiovascular field has undergone a significant change, with new broad perspectives in terms of optimized treatment strategies for patients nowadays.

OBJECTIVE

After a short historical introduction, this comprehensive literature review aimed to provide a detailed overview of the scientific evidence regarding digitalization in the diagnostics and therapy of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

METHODS

We performed an extensive literature search of the PubMed database and included all related articles that were published as of March 2022. Of the 3021 studies identified, 1639 (54.25%) studies were selected for a structured analysis and presentation (original articles: n=1273, 77.67%; reviews or comments: n=366, 22.33%). In addition to studies on CVDs in general, 829 studies could be assigned to a specific CVD with a diagnostic and therapeutic approach. For data presentation, all 829 publications were grouped into 6 categories of CVDs.

RESULTS

Evidence-based innovations in the cardiovascular field cover a wide medical spectrum, starting from the diagnosis of congenital heart diseases or arrhythmias and overoptimized workflows in the emergency care setting of acute myocardial infarction to telemedical care for patients having chronic diseases such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or hypertension. The use of smartphones and wearables as well as the integration of artificial intelligence provides important tools for location-independent medical care and the prevention of adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Digital transformation has opened up multiple new perspectives in the cardiovascular field, with rapidly expanding scientific evidence. Beyond important improvements in terms of patient care, these innovations are also capable of reducing costs for our health care system. In the next few years, digital transformation will continue to revolutionize the field of cardiovascular medicine and broaden our medical and scientific horizons.

Evaluation of cardiac auscultation skills in pediatric residents

Auscultation skills are in decline, but few studies have shown which specific aspects are most difficult for trainees. We evaluated individual aspects of cardiac auscultation among pediatric residents using recorded heart sounds to determine which elements pose the most difficulty.

METHODS

Auscultation proficiency was assessed among 34 trainees following a pediatric cardiology rotation using an open-set format evaluation module, similar to the actual clinical auscultation description process.

RESULTS

Diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing normal from abnormal cases was 73%. Findings most commonly correctly identified included pathological systolic and diastolic murmurs and widely split second heart sounds. Those least likely to be identified included continuous murmurs and clicks. Accuracy was low for identifying specific diagnoses.

CONCLUSIONS

Given time constraints for clinical skills teaching, this suggests that focusing on distinguishing normal from abnormal heart sounds and murmurs instead of making specific diagnoses may be a more realistic goal for pediatric resident auscultation training.

The promise of computer-assisted auscultation in screening for structural heart disease and clinical teaching

Abstract

Cardiac auscultation has been the central clinical tool for the diagnosis of valvular and other structural heart diseases for over a century. Physicians acquire competence in this technique through considerable training and experience. In Africa, however, we face a shortage of physicians and have the lowest health personnel-to-population ratio in the world. One of the proposed solutions for tackling this crisis is the adoption of health technologies and product innovations to support different cadres of health workers as part of task shifting.

Computer-assisted auscultation (CAA) uses a digital stethoscope combined with acoustic neural networking to provide a visual display of heart sounds and murmurs, and analyses the recordings to distinguish between innocent and pathological murmurs. In so doing, CAA may serve as an objective tool for the screening of structural heart disease and facilitate the teaching of cardiac auscultation. This article reviews potential clinical applications of CAA.

Stanford University network for diagnosis of retinopathy of prematurity (SUNDROP): 36-month experience with telemedicine screening

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

to report the 36-month experience of the Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP) telemedicine initiative.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

retrospective analysis of the SUNDROP archival data between December 1, 2005, and November 30, 2008, to evaluate this diagnostic technology for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening. A total of 230 consecutively enrolled infants meeting ROP examination criteria were screened with the Ret-Cam II (Clarity Medical Systems, Pleasanton, CA) and evaluated by the SUNDROP reading center at Stanford University. Outcomes included referral-warranted ROP, treatment-warranted ROP, and anatomic outcomes.

RESULTS

in the initial 36-month period, the SUNDROP telemedicine initiative did not miss any treatment-warranted ROP. A total of 230 infants (460 eyes) were imaged, resulting in 1,059 examinations and 10,921 unique images. Ten infants were identified with referral-warranted ROP: nine underwent laser photocoagulation and one regressed spontaneously. The sensitivity was 100% with a specificity of 99.5%. No patient progressed to retinal detachment or other adverse outcomes.

CONCLUSION

the SUNDROP telemedicine screening initiative for ROP has demonstrated high reliability for identification of treatment-warranted disease. All cases of treatment-warranted disease were captured. There were no adverse outcomes.

Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP): 24-month experience with telemedicine screening

PURPOSE

To report the 24-month experience of the Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP) telemedicine initiative.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of the SUNDROP archival data gathered between 1 December 2005 and 30 November 2007 to evaluate this diagnostic technology for ROP screening. One hundred and sixty consecutively enrolled infants meeting ROP examination criteria were screened with the RetCam II and evaluated by the SUNDROP reading centre at Stanford University. Nurses obtained five or six images in each eye. All patients also received a dilated examination within 1 week of discharge. Outcomes included treatment-warranted retinopathy of prematurity (TW-ROP) and anatomical outcomes.

RESULTS

In the initial 24-month period, the SUNDROP telemedicine initiative has not missed any TW-ROP. A total of 160 infants (320 eyes) were imaged, resulting in 669 exams and 7556 images. Seven infants were identified with TW-ROP; six underwent laser photocoagulation and one regressed spontaneously. The sensitivity was 100%, with specificity of 99.4%. No patient progressed to retinal detachment or other adverse outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The SUNDROP telemedicine screening initiative for ROP has been proven to have a high degree of sensitivity and specificity for the identification of treatment-warranted disease. All cases of treatment-warranted disease were captured. There were no adverse outcomes.

Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP): 18-month experience with telemedicine screening

PURPOSE

To report the 18-month experience of the Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP) telemedicine initiative.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of the SUNDROP archival data between 1 December 2005 and 30 May 2007, evaluating this new diagnostic technology for ROP screening.

PARTICIPANTS

All 97 consecutively enrolled infants in the SUNDROP network.

METHODS

All patients were screened using the RetCam II, and evaluated by the SUNDROP reading center at Stanford University. Nurses were trained to obtain five images in each eye. All patients were screened by an ophthalmologist trained in diagnosing ROP within 1 week of discharge from the hospital.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Outcomes included referral-warranted disease, need for treatment, and anatomic outcomes. Referral-warranted disease was defined as any Early Treatment Retinopathy of Prematurity Disease Type 2 or greater, threshold disease, any plus disease, and any stage 4 or higher disease.

RESULTS

In the initial 18-month period, the SUNDROP telemedicine screening initiative has not missed any referral-warranted disease for ROP. A total of 97 infants (194 eyes) were enrolled, resulting in 443 unique examinations and 4,929 unique images. The mean birth weight of the infants was 1,186.9 grams, with a mean gestational age at birth of 28.9 weeks. Seven infants were identified with referral-warranted disease; six patients underwent laser photocoagulation and completely regressed. The one remaining patient regressed spontaneously, and did not require intervention. Calculated sensitivity and specificity was 100% and 98.9% respectively. No patient progressed to retinal detachment or other adverse outcome. Inadequate exposure, artifact, poor visualization of the periphery, and lack of a complete standardized image set in some patients were identified as areas requiring further assessment.

CONCLUSIONS

The SUNDROP telemedicine screening initiative for ROP has proven to have a high degree of sensitivity and specificity for identification of referral-warranted disease. Training was easily implemented. All cases of referral-warranted disease were captured. There were no adverse outcomes.

Digital phonocardiography as a screening tool for heart disease in childhood

AIM

To evaluate the performance of experienced cardiologists by use of digital phonocardiography for the correct identification of heart disease and innocent murmurs in children.

METHODS

Two independent paediatric cardiologists blindly evaluated 83 digital phonocardiograms obtained from consecutive paediatric cardiology outpatients. Each observer had to document the presence and characteristics of murmurs (intensity, quality, location), the presence of additional abnormal auscultatory findings (systolic click, second heart tone abnormalities) and whether he would recommend echocardiography (ECHO). The accuracy of their diagnoses was tested against the ECG diagnosis within two severity levels of heart disease.

RESULTS

Twenty-three out of 24 cases (95.8%) with moderate-to-severe heart defects and 12 to 13 out of 19 cases (63.2%-68.4%) with trivial-to-mild heart defects were correctly identified by phonocardiography. Additionally, 37 to 38 out of 40 cases (92.5%-95.0%) without ECHO evidence of heart disease were correctly interpreted as having innocent murmurs. The level of agreement between the two observers was substantial regarding their recommendations for ECHO (kappa, kappa=0.83) and in identifying abnormal murmurs (kappa=0.78).

CONCLUSION

Evaluation of digital phonocardiography by experienced cardiologists could allow for correct identification of moderate-to-severe forms of heart disease while preventing the majority of children with innocent murmurs from unnecessary referral.

Validation of Remote Cardiopulmonary Examination in Patients With Heart Failure With a Videophone-Based System

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to evaluate feasibility and accuracy of a videophone-based system for remote cardiopulmonary examination of patients with heart failure.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Fifty patients were examined by 2 cardiologists, 1 with a conventional stethoscope and 1 remotely with a videophone-based method, employing an electronic stethoscope and transmitting through an integrated services digital network line. During both sessions, the cardiologists filled out a 27-item questionnaire, which was then compared; concordance between standard and remote examination was evaluated. In 92% of patients, electronic and acoustic auscultation concurred. Only in 3 patients (4%) did teleauscultation not permit a correct interpretation of lung examination. In one patient, bilateral fine crepitant rales were not detected during teleauscultation. Conversely, in the second, patient bilateral fine crepitant rales were recognized during teleauscultation, which were not confirmed during real-life auscultation. In the third nonconcordant patient, moderate-degree wheezing was not detected during teleauscultation. Fine crepitant rales were present at the lungs lower fields in 12 and wheezing in 3 additional patients, and were always correctly identified during teleauscultation. Overall, sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive value of remote lung auscultation were 88%, 97%, 94%, and 94%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Remote cardiopulmonary examination appears as a feasible method for assessing patients with heart failure. Telestethoscopy can therefore be reliably used in the context of comprehensive telecare programs.

Telemedicine in pediatric and perinatal cardiology: Economic evaluation of a service in English hospitals

Objectives:Pediatric cardiology has an expanding role in fetal and pediatric screening. The aims of this study were to observe how district hospitals use a pediatric telecardiology service, and to compare the costs and outcomes of patients referred to specialists by means of this service or conventionally.

Methods:A telemedicine service was set up between a pediatric cardiac center in London and four district hospitals for referrals of second trimester women, newborn babies, and older children. Clinicians in each hospital decided on the role for their service. Clinical events were audited prospectively and costed, and patient surveys were conducted.

Results:The hospitals differed in their selection of patient groups for the service. In all, 117 telemedicine patients were compared with 387 patients seen in London or in outreach clinics. Patients selected for telemedicine were generally healthier. For all patients, the mean cost for the initial consultation was £411 for tele-referrals and £277 for conventional referrals, a nonsignificant difference. Teleconsultations for women and children were significantly more expensive because of technology costs, whereas for babies, ambulance transfers were much more costly. After 6-months follow-up, the difference between referral methods for all patients was nonsignificant (telemedicine, £3,350; conventional referrals, £2,172), and nonsignificant within the patient groups.

Conclusions:Telemedicine was perceived by cardiologists, district clinicians, and families as reliable and efficient. The equivocal 6-month cost results indicate that investment in the technology is warranted to enhance pediatric and perinatal cardiology services.

The current state of telemonitoring: a comment on the literature

Telemonitoring, is defined as the use of information technology to monitor patients at a distance. This literature review suggests that the most promising applications for telemonitoring is for chronic illnesses such as cardiopulmonary disease, asthma, and heart failure in the home. Fetal heart rate monitoring and infant cardiopulmonary functions have also been monitored at a distance, as well as coagulation, or the level of activity of elderly people, assessed by the intelligent home monitoring devices. Hospitals, clinics, and prisons all have used telemonitoring, as have ambulances equipped with systems connected to the receiving hospital. Telemonitoring allows reduction of chronic disease complications thanks to a better follow-up; provides health care services without using hospital beds; and reduces patient travel, time off from work, and overall costs. Several systems have proven to be cost effective. Telemonitoring is also a way of responding to the new needs of home care in an ageing population. Real-time monitoring of patients in ambulances reduces the time to initiate treatment and allows the emergency crew to be better prepared. The obstacles to telemonitoring development include the initial costs of systems, physician licensing, and reimbursement. In the future, virtual reality, immersive environments, haptic feedback and nanotechnology promise new ways in improving the capabilities of telemonitoring.

Telemedicine: pediatric applications

The newly developing field of telemedicine has the potential to benefit pediatric care by increasing access to pediatric specialists and services. This report explores the current uses and limitations of telemedicine in pediatrics.

Accuracy of Telemedicine in Detecting Uncontrolled Hypertension and Its Impact on Patient Management

This study was aimed at assessing the diagnostic accuracy of telemedicine among hypertensive patients. This was a cross-sectional analysis of patients attending a hypertension clinic over a year-long study. Patients were seen both by telemedicine and in-person on the same day with order of the encounters randomly determined. A telemedicine system, which utilized phone lines, was employed. For each type of encounter, whether telemedicine (TM) or in-person (IP), clinical data on blood pressure (BP) control as well as physician ordering patterns were collected. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the validity of TM as compared to IP in the assessment of uncontrolled hypertension. Sixty-two patients participated resulting in 107-paired visits over the year-long study period. The mean age of the 62 participants was 67.1 +/- 11.4 years; 56.6% were men. ROC curves for detecting elevated mean blood pressure provided an area under the curve (auc) of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.80-0.95). ROC curves for the detection of uncontrolled systolic hypertension provided an auc of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.78-0.93). Telemedicine-determined BP differed slightly, but statistically significant (p < 0.05), from IP assessments. Meanwhile, there was no difference in ordering diagnostic tests or therapeutics detectable between the two encounter types. Telemedicine proved to be a valid means for detecting uncontrolled BP among hypertensive patients.

The paediatrician and cardiac auscultation

The cardiac auscultation (CA) skills of paediatric residents and office-based paediatricians have recently been shown to be suboptimal. CA is known to have a high degree of specificity and sensitivity, and is inexpensive. New teaching aids and availability of surrogate patient heart sounds and murmurs now allow most physicians to acquire CA skills. These teaching aids should be available in all medical schools and in all postgraduate paediatric training programs. While the relationship between musicality and CA skill has not been proven, the author assumes this relationship to be valid. Specific learning objectives in CA should be established. Recognizing that the current trend is away from clinical examinations, students frequently are unaware that a CA learning deficit exists. Therefore, students' CA skills should be evaluated before medical school graduation and at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons specialty examination. Students with amusia (inability to distinguish pitch of sound) should be identified and consideration should be given to directing them away from a clinical specialty in which CA is important. Further study is required in the physiology of learning of CA. Appropriate action by medical school and paediatric postgraduate program directors and the Royal College will effect a higher standard of patient care by increasing CA skills, resulting in a more financially efficient system - something everyone is trying to achieve in these times of increasing medical care costs.

Validation of heart and lung teleauscultation on an Internet-based system

The feasibility and accuracy of an Internet-based system for teleauscultation was evaluated in 103 cardiac patients, who were auscultated by the same cardiologist with a conventional stethoscope and with an Internet-based method, using an electronic stethoscope and transmitting heart and lung sounds between computer work stations. In 92% of patients, the results of electronic and acoustic auscultation coincided, indicating that teleauscultation may be considered a reliable method for assessing cardiac patients and could, therefore, be adopted in the context of comprehensive telecare programs.

Accuracy of analog telephonic stethoscopy for pediatric telecardiology

OBJECTIVE

Wide-bandwidth electronic stethoscopy is reliable and accurate for pediatric telecardiology. We tested a much less expensive and more convenient system for the same purpose, a narrow-bandwidth telephonic stethoscope (TS).

METHODS

Seventy-six consecutive patients (mean age: 10.0; standard deviation: 6.5 years) in a pediatric cardiology outpatient clinic were studied. One pediatric cardiologist examined the patients with his acoustic stethoscope (AS); a second examined them within a few minutes using a remote TS. A nurse placed the TS chest piece as directed by the remote examiner via intercom, but neither video examination nor conversation with the parent/patient were permitted. Examiners independently recorded the stethoscope findings for all heart sounds, all murmurs, and heart disease (present/absent). TS accuracy was indexed using the kappa statistic for TS/AS agreement and for TS agreement with auscultatory findings predicted from echocardiographic (echo) studies (N = 49).

RESULTS

TS/AS agreement was satisfactory for presence/absence of heart disease (kappa = 0.63) and for organic, functional, vibratory, diastolic aortic, and diastolic pulmonic murmurs (kappa range: 0.65-0.75). For other specific murmurs and all heart sounds, TS/AS agreement was either unsatisfactory (kappa < or = 0.60) or indeterminate because prevalence was 0. TS-AS agreement improved when the TS was used by the more-experienced TS examiner and with patients at least 5 years of age. When the older children were examined by the more TS-experienced examiner, the TS-echo comparison yielded kappa = 0.90, raw agreement = 0.96, sensitivity = 0.94, and specificity = 1.00.

CONCLUSIONS

In pediatric patients, a narrow-bandwidth telephonic stethoscope can accurately distinguish between functional and organic murmurs and thus can detect heart disease. Accuracy is greatest when the instrument is used by an experienced examiner with patients at least 5 years of age.

Heart murmurs recorded by a sensor based electronic stethoscope and e-mailed for remote assessment

BACKGROUND

Heart murmurs are common in children, and they are often referred to a specialist for examination. A clinically innocent murmur does not need further investigation. The referral area of the University Hospital is large and sparsely populated. A new service for remote auscultation (telemedicine) of heart murmurs in children was established where heart sounds and short texts were sent as an attachment to e-mails.

AIM

To assess the clinical quality of this method.

METHODS

Heart sounds from 47 patients with no murmur (n = 7), with innocent murmurs (n = 20), or with pathological murmurs (n = 20) were recorded using a sensor based stethoscope and e-mailed to a remote computer. The sounds were repeated, giving 100 cases that were randomly distributed on a compact disc. Four cardiologists assessed and categorised the cases as having "no murmur", "innocent murmur", or "pathological murmur", recorded the assessment time per case, their degree of certainty, and whether they recommended referral.

RESULTS

On average, 2.1 minutes were spent on each case. The mean sensitivity and specificity were 89.7% and 98.2% respectively, and the inter-observer and intra-observer variabilities were low (kappa 0.81 and 0.87), respectively. A total of 93.4% of cases with a pathological murmur and 12.6% of cases with an innocent murmur were recommended for referral.

CONCLUSION

Telemedical referral of patients with heart murmurs for remote assessment by a cardiologist is safe and saves time. Skilled auscultation is adequate to detect patients with innocent murmurs.

Telecardiology and the intensive care unit

Technology continues to advance at a pace that produces a new innovation daily. To move forward, clinicians must assess these potential technological solutions adequately for their clinical, financial, and customer satisfaction efficacies. Whether the payers, the patients, or health care will find these systems acceptable has yet to be established completely. The preliminary data in the literature seem to point to physicians' trepidations as the limiting factor. More work is needed on the legal and ethical issues surrounding telemedicine. Telemedicine is progressing quickly from a strange rare subtype of medicine into something that is part and parcel of the practice of medicine in general. Cardiology and intensivist practices have been impacted directly by this technology. As it matures it will be intertwined with daily practice.

Strabismus examination by telemedicine

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the reliability of strabismus assessment using telemedicine (TM) technology.

DESIGN

Two prospective interobserver agreement studies. One study compared the agreement between a standard and a TM examination, whereas the other assessed agreement between two independent standard examinations.

PARTICIPANTS

Strabismus patients over 4 years of age examined at a remote community clinic and patients assessed in a strabismologist's urban practice.

METHODS

Forty-two patients were examined in person by a pediatric ophthalmologist at the remote community and independently by a pediatric ophthalmology fellow by means of TM (TM-standard study). The TM examination was performed with the help of a qualified ophthalmic assistant at the remote telecommunication center using a Power Cam 100 camera, a Picture Tel Concorde 4500 teleconferencing system, and a 224 kilobyte bandwidth. For comparison, independent in person examinations were performed on 43 patients by both examiners (standard-standard study). Agreement was measured using unweighted kappa (k) for categorical data, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for continuous data, and percent agreement. The odds of disagreement with TM (comparing the TM-standard versus standard-standard studies) was assessed with logistic regression analysis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Three parameters were assessed: (1) category of strabismus, determined by observation without cover test; (2) angle of deviation at 0.33 and 6.0 m; and (3) ocular muscle action.

RESULTS

Agreement on the category of strabismus was good (k > 0.61) other than for vertical deviations. However, there was good to excellent agreement between TM and standard examinations on the vertical (ICC = 0.78) and horizontal (ICC = 0.79) angles of deviation with 6-m fixation with the cover test. Muscle ratings agreed within one point for the lateral, superior, and inferior rectus muscle actions in more than 90% of the eyes examined. Although good agreement was observed in the TM-standard study, it was inferior to the agreement in the standard-standard study. Examination by TM increased the odds of disagreement compared with examination in person by twofold to threefold.

CONCLUSIONS

Strabismus examination can be performed with a good level of reliability with the use of medium bandwidth video teleconferencing equipment. However, reduced reliability has been noted in the detection of small vertical deviations by inspection and in evaluating oblique muscle actions.

Telemedicine applications in otolaryngology

Under suitable technical and clinical conditions, remote interactive fiber-optic NPL can be used to evaluate a range of commonly occurring pathologies with a high degree of reliability. A clinical protocol appropriate for interactive and store-and-forward fiber-optic NPL was proposed for further evaluation. Additional applications of telemedicine in otolaryngology were outlined, including otoscopy, intra-oral examination, and evaluation of external facial pathology. We envisage tele-otolaryngology taking place in a variety of ways: Interactions between rural-based PCPs and specialists (routine evaluation of hoarseness, dysphagia), using store-and-forward techniques. Consults from emergency medicine physicians at a general service hospital to a specialist (laryngeal trauma, acute peritonsillar abscess, TM perforations) using interactive means. Case discussions between specialist and sub-specialist using a combination of store-and-forward and interactive technologies. Potentially, there are at least three significant benefits from widespread acceptance of telemedicine in the field of otolaryngology, or indeed in any of the medical specialties: Saved lives and reduced medical costs due to early detection of serious pathology (in this case, head and neck cancers). Reduced unnecessary referrals to specialists, and consequent savings to the patient and health-care insurer, accompanied by more efficient usage of specialist time. Enhanced level of medical education and interaction, as the link between the referring and consulting physician is more immediate and direct [27]. For these reasons, combined with the high number of visits at the primary-care level related to issues in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, tele-otolaryngology is poised to be a leading telemedicine application within the next few years.

Effectiveness of telemedicine in the outpatient pulmonary clinic

BACKGROUND

Over the past several years, there has been a resurgence of interest in telemedicine. Despite this renewed interest, some health care providers remain skeptical regarding the effectiveness of telemedicine for the delivery of health care.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this prospective, crossover study was to determine if there was any difference between care delivered using video conferencing-based telemedicine technology and that given by a traditional face-to-face encounter in a pulmonary medicine clinic.

METHODS

Two pulmonologists sequentially examined 40 individuals via video conferencing-based telemedicine technology and by the traditional face-to-face method. Two additional pulmonologists, in a blinded fashion, compared the results for consistency in the history, examination with focus on auscultation of the lungs, diagnostic impression, and evaluation and treatment plans.

RESULTS

Evaluation of patients by telemedicine was as effective as the traditional mode. The telemedicine physician and the physician examining the patient in the traditional manner were able to elicit the same key complaints and hear the same adventitious sounds on auscultation of the lungs.

CONCLUSION

Telemedicine can enable the provision of high-quality care in a pulmonary clinic setting.

Telemedicine: a useful tool for the pediatric cardiologist

OBJECTIVE

To determine if the Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical System Telemedicine Network can deliver subspecialty pediatric care to rural areas of Georgia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted of a clinical experience, over a 30-month period from November 1993 through June 1996, involving 13 pediatric cardiology-related encounters in seven male and six female patients. Patients' ages ranged from 5 days to 16 years. Eleven encounters were initiated because of a suspicion of congenital heart disease (CHD); two encounters involved postoperative evaluations in patients who had recently undergone cardiac surgery at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG).

RESULTS

Of the 11 patients suspected to have CHD, five had CHD documented during the telemedicine evaluation, of whom two were transferred to MCG for further invasive evaluation and surgical correction. Three others with CHD, and the remaining six patients who required no further subspecialty follow-up, were followed in their home communities by their primary care physicians.

CONCLUSIONS

Telemedicine is a useful tool for the evaluation of infants and children with suspected CHD.

Teleconsultation in otolaryngology: live versus store and forward consultations

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of interactive and delayed teleconsultations in otolaryngology.

SETTING

Ambulatory clinic at an urban tertiary care facility.

SUBJECTS

Forty-five adult patients with known or suspected upper aerodigestive tract pathology.

INTERVENTION

Patients were interviewed by an otolaryngology chief resident (CR) using a standardized protocol; the results were presented to a board-certified otolaryngologist present locally (LBCO) and a remote physician viewing the encounter by video-conferencing elsewhere in the hospital (RBCO). The CR performed a complete otolaryngologic examination, including fiberoptic nasopharyngolaryngoscopy. The CR and LBCO viewed the examination on a video monitor; the RBCO viewed the same image on the video-conferencing monitor. Each physician independently recorded findings and rendered a diagnosis. A third board-certified otolaryngologist, who reviewed the stored data file (text and stored images) in a delayed fashion (DBCO), documented his findings and made a diagnosis.

RESULTS

The CR and LBCO agreed on diagnosis in 92% (36 of 39) of cases. The LBCO and RBCO arrived at the same diagnosis in 29 of 34 (85%) cases. The DBCO agreed with the LBCO for 18 of 28 (64%) diagnoses. Agreement on management recommendations between the LBCO/DBCO pair were also lower than for the LBCO/RBCO pair.

CONCLUSIONS

Both interactive and delayed techniques can be used to provide relatively accurate clinical consultations in otolaryngology. Telemedicine can be applied for subspecialty consultations, screening programs, remote emergency triage, second opinions, and resident education.