Sounds produced by prosthetic heart valves are known to contain diagnostic information regarding the structural and functional integrity of their components. Analog techniques for processing prosthetic valve phonocardiograms have met with limited success in extracting this information, because of their poor spectral resolution and lack of versatility. Numerical methods of signal processing overcome most of these limitations, but the need for a computer to implement numerical methods raises the question of cost-effectiveness in many applications. Numerical analysis of prosthetic valve signals has therefore received very little attention outside the academic and laboratory context. Cost reductions in computer hardware arising from the use of micro-processors, make it possible to envisage dedicated clinical instruments for processing prosthetic valve sounds in view of assessing overall valve performance and detecting component degradation at an early stage. Basic spectral considerations for the design of such instruments are discusses in this paper.
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