APTM heart sound protocol

Aortic · Pulmonic · Tricuspid · Mitral — a fixed listening sequence for comparable heart-sound capture.

What is APTM?

APTM is a standardized cardiac auscultation order: aortic, then pulmonic, then tricuspid, then mitral. Each letter maps to a fixed chest listening position so every recording session follows the same path.

StetoRadr builds this sequence into a guided Android workflow for research and care teams. It is a collection and training aid—not a diagnostic device or substitute for clinical judgment.

APTM chest diagram showing aortic, pulmonic, tricuspid, and mitral listening positions — APTM reference map used in StetoRadr capture sessions.

Why a fixed sequence matters

When listeners choose positions ad hoc, clips are hard to compare across operators, wards, and study sites. A shared APTM order improves data quality for pediatric cardiology research, CHD datasets, and bedside training.

Same order every session → cleaner multi-site datasets
Shared vocabulary across collectors and reviewers
Fewer missing positions when the workflow enforces A → P → T → M

How StetoRadr runs APTM

Prepare — complete consent-aware intake so the session is authorized and labeled.
Aortic — capture at the aortic position.
Pulmonic — move to pulmonic and record.
Tricuspid — continue to tricuspid.
Mitral — finish at mitral so the sequence is complete.
Review — check completeness, then export or upload de-identified clips.

For congenital heart disease context, see our CHD guide for healthcare researchers. Sample clips (when published) live on heart sound recordings.

Try the app — download demo Read the full tutorial Request pilot access Download APTM reference