As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of respiratory health has come into sharp focus. With the rising prevalence of respiratory diseases and concerns about air pollution, there is a growing need for innovative solutions that can monitor lung health in real time.

That's where a Hyderabad-based startup comes in, with its groundbreaking innovation that allows you to monitor your lung health using nothing more than a mobile phone. By leveraging the latest in AI and machine learning, this startup is paving the way for a new era of proactive lung health management that puts the power in the hands of the individual.

Swaasa, an AI-based software developed by Salcit Technologies, is capable of identifying abnormalities in the lungs with an accuracy rate of 90% by analyzing human coughs. In addition to cough analysis, the software takes into account other patient data such as medical history, temperature, and vitals to aid in the early detection of lung infections and diseases.

Salcit Technologies was founded in 2017 by Venkat Yechuri, Narayana Rao Sripada, and Manmohan Jain, who identified the necessity for an AI-powered sound analysis system that could cater to lung health requirements.

Innovating the device

For the team, the need for an easy-to-install method to determine lung health in remote and rural health centers became apparent during a conversation with Dr. Ananta Krishnan from AIIMS. As it is practically impossible to set up a spirometry test in such areas, Narayana and his team started with the acoustics of heart and lung sounds.

They subsequently narrowed it down to cough sounds to determine the prevalence of underlying disorders. This realization became the driving force behind the development of Swaasa, an AI-powered screening software that caters to the unmet need for lung health screening in rural areas.

Patients trying to manage diseases like Asthma and COPD can need specific and periodic attention. Their location and availability of time constraint doctors. Healthcare professionals and doctors use Swaasa to make an informed diagnosis of lung health and suggest a course of action.

The device is engineered to make accurate assessments of lung health using cough sounds. Driven by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Swaasa uses Audiometric Analysis to decode the information extracted from the cough sounds and other vital information to provide insights into the well-being of the lungs.

With six clinical validations including from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Swaasa is now being used by PHCs in Visakhapatnam and aims to reach those in rural areas.

Further, the platform has conducted over 3 lakh assessments so far with partners such as Apollo, Piramal Swasthya, Andhra Medical College; Visakhapatnam and AIIMS, Delhi.