Peculiarities of acoustic diagnostic methods in pediatric practice (literature review, own research)

Diseases of the respiratory system are among the most common among the population of different age categories. Sound, as a physical phenomenon, is the propagation of longitudinal elastic waves in a medium, for example, in the air. Waves with frequencies below 16 Hz are called infrasound, and above 20,000 Hz are called ultrasound, and these waves cannot be perceived by the human ear. That is why the study of acoustic signals is extremely important for the diagnosis and monitoring of respiratory diseases. The aim of this article is to investigate the features of the use of acoustic diagnostic methods in pediatric practice through the analysis of contemporary literature over the past five years, sourced from Scopus and Web of Science databases, as well as conducting original clinical research. Results. Acoustic diagnostic methods in pediatrics have great potential due to their non-invasiveness and lack of radiation exposure. Literary sources indicate the high efficiency of these methods in detecting pathologies of the respiratory system in children, especially in the early stages of diseases. Our research with the acoustic monitoring device "Trembita-Corona" confirmed the ability to accurately determine the affected areas of the lungs with the help of highly sensitive acoustic sensors. The primary focus is paid to the comparative evaluation of the diagnostic efficacy, safety, and potential for using these methods in children of different age groups. It has been proven that acoustic methods allow the identification of pathological changes even in hard-to-reach extracostal areas. The effectiveness of the acoustic monitoring device "Trembita-Corona" developed and implemented in clinical practice is confirmed by the possibility of mathematical data processing, which significantly increases the accuracy of diagnosis, excluding the human factor. The use of acoustic methods in pediatrics opens up new opportunities for early detection and monitoring of diseases of the respiratory system. Conclusions. The implementation of acoustic methods into clinical practice is a promising direction that deserves further research and development. The conducted experimental studies demonstrated the ability of the "Trembita-Corona" device to accurately diagnose and localize lung lesions in community-acquired pneumonia, confirming the effectiveness of the developed methods and algorithms. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.