Mastering Auscultation:

An Audio Tour to Cardiac Diagnosis

Minimum system requirements
Pentium 166 mHz
32 mb free RAM
16 bit dispa! coor "aso #no$n as %Hig& Coor%'
6() * (+) pi*e resoution
"t&is is t&e absoute minimum, +)) * 6)) or +32 * 62( is muc& better'
16 bit * ((-1 #Hz audio out
+* CD.R/M dri0e
1indo$s 234 2+ or 5T
6uic#Time ( "instaer incuded on CD.R/M'
Installation
7f 6uic#Time ( is not aread! instaed on !our computer4 pease insta it b!
doube.cic#ing on t&e %6uic#Time 7nstaer% icon- 8oo$ t&e simpe
instructions presented on.screen b! t&e instaer- 1&en t&e instaer finis&es4
be sure to restart !our mac&ine before running Mastering Auscutation-
7f !ou are not sure $&ic&4 if an!4 0ersion of 6uic#Time !ou &a0e4 go a&ead
and run Mastering Auscutation- T&e program $i oo# for 6uic#Time (4 and
$i notif! !ou if an instaation is needed-
Mastering Auscutation is designed to run direct! from t&e CD.R/M "see
beo$'-
Operation
9tartup
7f !our s!stem &as %Auto 7nsert 5otification% enabed "see CD.R/M properties
in t&e De0ice Manager'4 t&e program s&oud start up automatica! after t&e
CD.R/M is inserted- 7f !ou need to start t&e program manua!4 doube.cic#
t&e %Mastering Auscutation% icon in t&e root director! of t&e %Auscut% CD.
R/M-
T&e program starts $it& a brief introduction- 7f !ou $is& to s#ip t&e
introduction in future sessions4 &od do$n t&e C/5TR/: #e! after !ou see
t&e initia spas& screen4 unti t&e main screen appears- Aso4 cic#ing $it& t&e
mouse pointer an!$&ere on t&e screen during t&e introduction $i cause t&e
program to ;ump immediate! to t&e main screen-
Hep
Conte*t.sensiti0e &ep is pro0ided b! brief te*t message %tips% t&at appear
$&en !our mouse pointer is o0er t&e 0arious contros- T&is feature ma! be
turned on and off b! cic#ing t&e %Hep% button- 7f !ou $is& to see t&e tips
brief! $it&out turning Hep on "or &a0e t&em sta! 0isibe onger $&en Hep is
on'4 simp! &od do$n t&e 9H78T #e!-
9ound <oume and :ooping
Cic#ing t&e %<oume% button $i re0ea t&e t$o sound contros- T&e sider
ao$s !ou to ad;ust t&e program=s sound 0oume- A tone is pa!ed $&en !ou
reease t&e mouse button4 to demonstrate t&e ne$ 0oume-
Please Note: When a mitigated heart sound is played, its volume will either
be higher or lower than that of the unmitigated heart sound. If it is lower and
you have adjusted the volume slider all the way to the left, the mitigation will
be inaudible.
T&e %roc#er s$itc&% button to t&e eft of t&e 0oume sider ao$s !ou to
c&oose $&et&er t&e &eart and p&onetic sound e*ampes $i oop
continuous! or ;ust pa! once after !ou cic# a sound button- An!time !ou
$ant to stop a sound4 simp! cic# an!$&ere on t&e screen-
T&e Cases and Tutorials 9creens
T&ese screens are 0er! simiar- T&e! &a0e in common t&e foo$ing features>
A pop.up seection ist from $&ic& to c&oose t&e case or tutoria-
A grap&ic and 0ideo area $&ere c&est diagrams4 ec&ocardiograms4 *.
ra!s and ot&er e*panator! art$or# are dispa!ed-
T&e $ords %C&est% and %?c&o% at t&e o$er eft and rig&t corners4
respecti0e!4 of t&e grap&ic and 0ideo area- T&ese act as buttons to
s$itc& bet$een 0ie$ing t&e c&est diagram "stet&oscope pacement' and
t&e ec&o 0ideo "ec&ocardiogram or ot&er grap&ics@0ideo'- 1&en a case
or tutoria is first seected- T&e %c&est% diagram $i be in 0ie$-
A stet&oscope &ead icon s&o$ing $&et&er t&e be or diap&ragm is
preferred-
A patient position icon depicting t&e optimum patient positioning for t&at
sound- A sma trianguar arro$ $i appear on t&is icon $&en it is acti0e
as a button to s$itc& to an aternate e*ampe from t&e same patient-
A %Heart 9ound% button to pa! t&e &eart sound-
A %P&onetic 9ound% button to pa! a recording of t&e aut&or pronouncing
t&e p&onop&onetic description of t&e &eart sound-
A pop.up seection ist from $&ic& to c&oose a mitigation- 7f none is
appicabe to a particuar e*ampe4 t&is $i be inacti0e-
A %Mitigation 9ound% button to pa! t&e &eart sound $it& t&e seected
mitigation appied- 7f no mitigation &as been seected4 or if none is
a0aiabe4 t&is button $i be inacti0e-
A p&onop&onetic c&art of t&e sound- A sma trianguar arro$ $i appear
on t&is c&art $&en it is acti0e as a button to s$itc& to an aternate
e*ampe from t&e same patient-
A te*t area for cinica findings4 ec&ocardiogram descriptions4 etc-
T&e Cases screen aso &as a %Diagnosis% button4 $&ic& opens t&e foating
%Diagnosis and Treatment% $indo$- T&is $indo$ dispa!s t&e diagnosis4 a
detaied interpretation of t&e aucutation4 action items for furt&er $or#up and
treatment4 and references to t&e te*tboo# pages appicabe to t&e case-
Pro0iding t&is information in a separate $indo$ ao$s t&e user to simuate
and %sef.test% t&e t&oug&t process of t&e $or#up4 b! obtaining ree0ant
information from t&e &istor! and initia e*am $it&out &a0ing t&e %ans$ers%
immediate! in 0ie$-
T&e %Conditions% button opens anot&er foating $indo$ $&erein t&e cases are
categorized according to t&e conditions t&e! e*empif!-
Aot& foating $indo$s defaut to %Auto Hide% mode- 8or t&e Diagnosis
$indo$4 Auto Hide means t&e $indo$ coses $&ene0er a ne$ case is
seected b! an! met&od- 8or t&e Conditions $indo$4 Auto Hide means t&e
$indo$ coses $&ene0er a ne$ case is seected 0ia t&at $indo$- 7f !ou &a0e
!our dispa! resoution set to 1)2( * B6+ pi*es or greater4 or if !ou &a0e a
mutipe monitor setup4 !ou ma! en;o! a smoot&er $or#fo$ b! setting t&e
%roc#er s$itc&% button in t&e upper rig&t corner of one or bot& of t&ese
$indo$s to %9ta! /pen4% and dragging t&em to t&e side of t&e main screen-
These windows will still close automatically when moving to the Tutorials
screen or !it.
T&e Tutorials screen does not need a %Diagnosis% button4 because t&at
information is combined $it& t&e Cinica 8indings on t&e main screen-
Cic#ing t&e %Conditions% button $&ie in t&e Tutorias screen $i cause t&e
program to open t&e Condtions $indo$ and s$itc& to t&e Cases screen-
Technical Considerations
T&is appication $i perform better4 or be easier to use if---
!ou &a0e a processor speed greater t&an 2)) mHz
!our dispa! is arge enoug& to 0ie$ comfortab! at &ig&er resoution
"1)2( * B6+ is nice'- This application supports multiple monitor
systems, so the floating "#onditions" and "$iagnosis" windows may be
dragged anywhere on your display.
!ou &a0e a CD.R/M dri0e faster t&an t&e minimum specified-
Cour sound s!stem is of critica importance4 for ob0ious reasons- :o$
freDuenc! components predominate in &eart sounds- T&e! ma! be 0irtua!
inaudibe on t&e sma interna spea#ers often used in monitors or aptop
computers-