Mobile application developed by researchers from the University of Chile (U. de Chile), for 14 months, could detect respiratory diseases through the voice of patients.
The purpose of the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based application is to evaluate the possibility of respiratory problems in patients, using a voice mechanism through the microphone of a mobile phone. The app has successfully passed tests that have determined its validity.
Néstor Becerra Yoma, director and founder of the Voice Processing and Transmission Laboratory (LPTV) of the University of Chile, collaborated with academics from the Department of Electrical Engineering (DIE) of the same university, César Azurdia, Claudio Estévez and Sandra Céspedes, for the creation of this respiratory disease detection system. For this, he also had the support of Dr. Laura Mendoza and her pulmonology team at the Hospital Clínico de la U. de Chile (HCUCH).
“With this technology we want to detect and prevent these people before they are in a critical state of respiratory distress. Also, we want to follow up on those patients who were left with respiratory deficiency as a sequel due to the pandemic”, explained Becerra in November 2020.
During 2021, the technology used in the app was evaluated in clinical trials and validated in laboratories, showing positive results. The next step is the accreditation by public institutions to be able to massify its use. Also in 2021, it was presented at the 52nd Chilean Congress of Respiratory Diseases.
Initially, the objective of this tool was to automatically detect and monitor people at risk of COVID-19 infection, however, Dr. Laura Mendoza explained that it would also be useful to monitor patients with dyspnea.
“It can help to have a more reliable monitoring of dyspnea… And be more certain of the evolution and response to treatment of both acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Also, as a tool, it can give a warning sign to a patient who is suffering from pneumonia at a distance, because it can indicate a greater risk of worsening and should be evaluated in person and hospitalized, in a timely manner, "he explained.
Likewise, one of the advantages of the application is that it represents an opportunity to care for patients remotely, especially for those who live in rural areas and/or are older adults who have complications when traveling to clinics or hospitals.
For his part, Becerra explained that this tool can help improve remote clinical care and contribute to the monitoring of bronchopulmonary diseases or those related to environmental pollution.
How does it work?
Becerra explained that the app and the AI system ask the patient to pronounce some phonetics in a controlled manner. The AI technology can recognize the pronunciation of words or phrases that are not necessary for the analysis and these are eliminated through a machine learning algorithm. Subsequently, through deep learning and the pronunciation of the patients, it is possible to estimate the degree of dyspnea or respiratory distress.
"This technology can have a great social benefit, for the same reason, we hope that it can soon be used massively now or after the pandemic," explained the specialist and also a professor at the U. de Chile.
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