What Ausculta is
Ausculta (from Latin auscultare, to listen closely) is an educational tool for learning auscultation. At its core is an atlas of 42 textbook heart, lung and bowel sound examples from open research databases, each with a description, source and licence.
It is an atlas for listening to and comparing recorded examples. The app does not use the microphone, measures nothing and examines no one. It comes from the same workshop as Breathune and is meant for medical and nursing students, doctors, and anyone who wants to listen more carefully. It is in Slovak, English, Czech and German.
What is in the app
New in 2.2: a map of the auscultation sites, cases, daily practice, playback tools, and the app in Czech and German.
Atlas of examples
42 textbook examples from open databases: 18 heart, 17 lung and 7 bowel sounds, each with a description, source and licence. Plus 4 ECG examples with heart sound on one time axis.
Playback tools
Slower playback at 0.75× and 0.5× without a change in pitch, a loop over a chosen stretch and the Bell, Diaphragm and Wide filters on the recording. In 20 examples the waveform carries S1 and S2 marks or sound stretches from the annotations of the source databases.
Site map
The chest from the front, the back and the abdomen with the auscultation sites. Tap a site to open the examples that, according to the source database, were recorded there.
Cases
Six short textbook situations built from atlas examples. You walk through the marked sites, listen to an example at each one and name the type of sound.
Quiz and comparison
The quiz plays an example and you pick the type of sound; the textbook description follows right away. Compare two plays two examples side by side. Only your answers are scored.
Daily practice
Spaced repetition: a sound you name correctly comes back after a growing number of days, one you get wrong in the very next session. Your progress stays on the phone.
Guide
Where and how to listen with a conventional stethoscope: bell and diaphragm, the auscultation sites of the heart and lungs, and the four quadrants of the abdomen.
Four languages and privacy
The app is in Slovak, English, Czech and German. It has no account or server, does not use the microphone and collects no data.
No cost and Ausculta Pro
At no cost: 12 of the 42 atlas examples, all 4 ECG examples with sound, the site map, cases, quiz, daily practice, comparison, the playback tools and the whole guide. A one-time purchase, Ausculta Pro, unlocks the other 30 examples, which then also appear on the map, in the quiz, in the cases and in practice. A voluntary contribution to development unlocks nothing.
FAQ
Is Ausculta a medical device?
No. It is an educational tool for learning to listen. It does not measure, diagnose or replace an examination by a doctor. If you have health concerns, see a doctor.
Where do the sound examples come from?
From open research databases (for example PhysioNet) and one sound library. Each example shows its source and licence, and a summary is in the app under About.
Does Ausculta use the microphone?
No. The app only plays the recorded atlas examples; it does not use the microphone and collects no data.
Which languages is Ausculta in?
Slovak, English, Czech and German; it follows the language of your iPhone. The descriptions, the quiz, the cases and the guide are in all four languages.
Where is my practice progress stored?
Only on the phone. The app has no account or server; the daily practice progress and the overview of examples you have heard are never sent anywhere.