Dutch startup targets remote patient monitoring with its smart stethoscope

Amsterdam-based Lapsi Health is looking to firmly position itself in the rapidly-evolving market of smart medical devices.

The startup announced yesterday the US launch of its first clinical support tool, a digital stethoscope, after receiving clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — the US regulator for medical devices.

Dubbed Keikku, the digital stethoscope is a portable wireless device that uses sensing technology and AI to listen to body sounds, such as breathing, and turn them into data-based insights.

Keikku also comes with features such as the option to share and stream sound clips or to crop and annotate them. These functionalities are available on the stethoscope’s app and web-based platform.

Lapsi Health says that Keikku can improve patient screening and monitoring and is initially able to boost diagnostics for a range of conditions, such as respiratory, cardiac, and gastrointestinal problems.

The startup is currently targeting general healthcare professionals. But in the future, the company’s aim is to support individual use by patients, which will enable remote monitoring and treatment.

“We are making auscultation available for in-home monitoring with clear results for you to be able to know when to contact your healthcare provider, just as the thermometer,” Diana van Stijn, chief medical officer at Lapsi Health, told TNW. 

Plans for a wide range of medical devices

Keikku’s launch marks the first step in the company’s commercialisation journey.

Lapsi Health is also developing Ilo, a wearable for fetal health tracking, designed for pregnant women. Another upcoming product, called Air, is a wearable designed for lung tracking. The tools are currently at the validation and prototype stage, respectively.

The startup was founded in 2022 by Jhonatan Bringas Dimitriades (CEO), Diana van Stijn (chief medical officer), Rodrigo Alvez (CTO), and Seamus Holohan (COO).

To date, the company has raised $5.8mn from pre-seed and seed rounds as well as scientific grants.

Update (1o:00AM CEST, October 4, 2024): The article has been updated to include the comment from Diana van Stijn.