Purpose: First, to determine when, following the description of stethoscopy by Laennec, it was used by anaesthetists in an operating room and, second, to describe the developing possibilities for stethoscopic monitoring.
Methods: A manual search of the medical literature based on Index Medicus and relevant publications were obtained and analyzed. Textbooks randomly available were also read.
Principal findings: Stethoscopy was first described early in the 20th century but was not widely recommended for anaesthesia until the 1950s. The change in attitude to stethoscopy during anaesthesia was probably due to alterations in anaesthesia delivery; increasing difficulty in employing direct human sensing. However the complexity of practice often makes traditional stethoscopy ergonomically unsatisfactory. Substantial research in the sensing and analysis of lung sounds support the contention that cheap visual displays of information from suitably designed sensors could be made available for anaesthetists.
Conclusion: Current advances in sensing, analysis, and display of lung sounds could be used to create a simple and cheap device helpful for monitoring in the operating room.