A high-tech vest that ‘listens’ to what’s going on inside the chest could revolutionise treatment for lung disease.

By Pat Hagan
Last updated at 8:46 AM on 3rd May 2011

The computerised vest — worn under a top or T-shirt — is packed with dozens of sensors that can pick up noises from the lungs in patients with conditions such as severe asthma and emphysema. This is what doctors do when they listen to a patient’s chest using a stethoscope; they can work out what is going wrong from the type of sound that air generates as it enters and exits the lungs. But rather than checking the patient over only when they visit the surgery, the vest — which looks a bit like a life-jacket — carries out these tests every few minutes while it is worn. The patient then connects the vest to a laptop or iPad equipped with a special software program; this converts the results into an easy-to-read graph. This is emailed daily to the patient’s GP so they can look for early warning signs that the condition may be worsening, without having to call the patient in for frequent checks.

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