Shwaasa AI App: Cough into your phone, and the app will tell you your lung condition! AIIMS has approved this AI app. Learn how it works.:AI is now advancing in every field. Let us tell you about the new app developed at AIIMS, which will tell you about your health when you cough.

News Topical, Digital Desk : How Shwaasa AI App Detects COPD Through Cough: A Karnataka-based startup has developed an AI-based mobile app, "Shwaasa," which has been approved by AIIMS. It is believed that this app could help address a major diagnostic gap in the country's primary healthcare system. Using a unique algorithm, the app screens patients for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a major cause of disease in India.

Test done at AIIMS Delhi

AIIMS-Delhi tested it on 460 people at its Ballabhgarh center last year. When compared with spirometry, the standard lung test in this area, the app's results showed satisfactory consistency. Its accuracy was particularly strong in severe cases. It was found to be nearly 90 percent accurate in distinguishing between normal and abnormal cases, while its accuracy in identifying diseases like COPD and asthma ranged from 82 to 87 percent.

What do experts say?

COPD is the second leading cause of death in India, yet most district hospitals and primary health centers don't have spirometry facilities. Dr. Harshal Ramesh Salve, an AIIMS doctor who was part of the trial, said, "Many district hospitals don't even have spirometry facilities. It's mostly limited to medical colleges."

Can be used quite easily

The app's operation is quite simple. The patient simply coughs into their smartphone. The phone's microphone records the cough sound, and the built-in AI software instantly analyzes it. Within a few minutes, it can determine whether the lungs are normal or whether they show signs of COPD or asthma. The entire test is completed in about eight minutes. Unlike spirometry, this app doesn't require any special tests or heavy equipment. This makes it considered useful in resource-constrained areas. AIIMS doctors have suggested that it could be used in primary and secondary health centers, even Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, where spirometry is not available.

AIIMS is also conducting tests for TB.
A separate research project is evaluating its usefulness in screening for TB. Currently, the device is being used in some states, including Karnataka. There are plans to expand its use further by involving private doctors in Faridabad to record results.