A Hyderabad-based startup has developed a smartphone-based respiratory sound diagnosis to identify potential TB infections in Andhra Pradesh.
The AI-powered respiratory screening platform, Swaasa, was deployed across Primary Health Centres in East Godavari district on a pilot basis.
Healthcare workers carrying smartphones helped identify Tuberculosis and respiratory illnesses among villagers who may not have undergone medical screening otherwise.
The platform analyses respiratory sounds using Artificial Intelligence and recommends further diagnostic tests.
The pilot screened close to 8,000 people within six weeks and identified 36 percent of TB cases as asymptomatic.
The initiative improved TB diagnostic yield by 15 percent compared to conventional Active Case Finding methods.
The platform also revealed a hidden burden of chronic respiratory illnesses among villagers, with COPD risk ranging between 6.5 percent and 9.5 percent and asthma risk between 1.6 per cent and 1.9 percent.
The pilot project demonstrated up to 95 percent concordance with spirometry tests and is non-invasive, radiation-free, and requires no consumables or specialised technicians.
The platform is integrated with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission systems and national TB monitoring platforms such as Nikshay.
