A relative asked me to listen to his chest the other day. So, I duly percussed his chest before listening with my stethoscope ...

It's estimated 3 to 5 percent of Americans have a mitral valve - and diagnosis starts with a simple stethoscope. "It's really important that we don't ignore a heart murmur," Dr. Suri said.

The patent-pending invention provides an improved stethoscope system for doctors and nurses. In doing so, it offers a digital means of listening to a patient's heart beat, lungs, or other body sounds.