By Matthew Brady 
Jhonatan Bringas Dimitriades, MD., CEO of Lapsi Health, speaks to HealthTechAsia about why the manufacturer of FDA-cleared digital stethoscope Keikku is prioritising the Kingdom for market entry and where he sees the company heading next.
The world is becoming noisier. One product aims to cut through the cacophony like a scalpel through hot butter, and in the process help patients get better by listening to sounds from the depth of their bodies. It’s a stethoscope, albeit reimagined for the future.
Named after the Finnish word for ‘’child”, Keikku is a sophisticated, contemporary version of the age-old device we typically see in clinics (over the next five years, 1.01 billion patients in the United States are expected to be screened, diagnosed, or monitored for disease using sound).
Introduced last October by a digital health company barely 3 years old – Lapsi Health – Keikku is a smart digital technology that captures subtle body sounds, allowing healthcare professionals to use high-quality auscultatory data to screen, monitor, and treat patients remotely.
“Sound is a crucial biomarker in healthcare,” Bringas Dimitriades explained, who co-founded Lapsi Health in Amsterdam with Diana van Stijn, MD PhD., Chief Medical Officer, and Toni Leinonen, Head of Engineering.
According to the co-founder, the human body is filled with sounds that are not only diagnostic tools but are also highly specific to certain diseases. These sounds, which in medical terminology are referred to as pathognomonic, offer a unique window into a patient’s condition.
“For now, we are focusing on the major disease groups—heart and lungs,” Bringas Dimitriades shared. ”But we also use the stethoscope to listen to a baby’s fontanelle, the carotid arteries in patients with aneurysms, and for gastrointestinal issues, we examine intestinal sounds. We even listen behind the joints for perturbations.
One of the standout features of Lapsi Health’s technology is the device’s Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), making it particularly effective in noisy environments. “If you’re with a patient in an ambulance or helicopter, the noise can be overwhelming,” the co-founder revealed.
“In a busy emergency room, trying to auscultate a child having an asthma attack while patients are screaming can make it almost impossible to hear anything clearly. Accuracy is ensured through advanced audio capabilities, including adaptive sound control and blind filters.”
While audio fidelity provides healthcare professionals with greater accuracy, Bringas Dimitriades added that AI also plays a crucial role in assessing specific pathological sounds. “Lapsi Health is developing foundational models to improve precision by focusing on distinct sound patterns. Our goal is to deploy multiple algorithms in the future, with an ongoing project focused on respiratory ones.”
Importantly, Keikku is designed to empower patients. The device allows them to record, share, and stream audio data, integrating seamlessly with iOS (16 and above) and Android (12 and above) apps.
This enables patients to engage in telemedicine sessions, where their physician can analyse the sounds remotely through streaming, enhancing the diagnostic process. “Some people prefer a physical examination,’ the co-founder said. “Having Keikku gives them that feeling, with the doctor on the other end listening to their heart and lungs, even though they’re at home.”
Patients can also listen to their body sounds at leisure using Bluetooth-enabled headphones, earphones, or speakers. However, since they are not typically trained to interpret these sounds, Bringas Dimitriades emphasised that the most effective way to provide meaningful insights—beyond consulting a doctor—is through AI, which analyses the sounds and presents the results in a written or graphical format.
Sights on Saudi
With Keikku having received FDA Class II clearance in October 2024 and launching in the US with over 1,000 pre-orders, Lapsi Health is now setting its sights on new markets.
“Right now, our primary focus is the US market,” said Bringas Dimitriades. “The second priority is, of course, Europe and the UK, followed by Saudi Arabia. We’ve chosen to prioritise Saudi Arabia before expanding to the wider GCC before moving into the broader Asian market. That’s how we see Keikku’s expansion unfolding.”
Saudi Arabia stands out not only as the largest population in the Gulf region, but also as a country undergoing rapid technological transformation. “It’s a country undergoing incredible expansion,” he explained. “They have a broad and ambitious Vision 2030 strategy, which aligns perfectly with what we do. There’s a strong appetite for data—especially actionable data—which makes it an ideal market for us.”
The Kingdom’s healthcare system is evolving rapidly, he added. “We’re seeing game-changing innovations, like Seha Virtual Hospital and NEOM’s vision for healthcare. We believe this is the perfect environment where Lapsi Health fits very well. We feel Keikku could become transformational in Saudi Arabia.”
Lapsi Health has been in discussions with multiple partners in Saudi Arabia for distribution and has been piloting its technology in several hospitals to demonstrate its readiness to the Saudi government. “The Saudis understand the rigour of FDA for approving new medical devices, and they take the decision to accept assessments complemented by a pilot in the Kingdom,” Bringas Dimitriade said. “It’s a route based on rigour, safety, and evidence.”
Partners include Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH), where the company has closely collaborated with Dr. Tamara Sunbul, the former Director of Medical Informatics. Through JHAH, the company showcased its technology to doctors at the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh last year, sparking strong interest among attendees.
“The response from everyone who has seen Keikku has been fantastic,” Bringas Dimitriades said. “We also have FDA clearance, so it should be fast.”
Beyond Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, Lapsi Health is seeing strong interest from multiple partners looking to pilot Keikku in India, Pakistan, China, and Hong Kong. Other markets of interest include Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. In the opposite direction, meanwhile, Latin America also presents significant opportunities.”’It’s essentially a bloc that reminds me of the early European Union,” he noted.
Expansion will however be approached step by step, with a strong emphasis on technical maturity. “This includes the availability of internet connectivity and smartphone adoption across different age groups,” he explained.
While demand for Keikku is growing, ensuring steady production remains a priority. “Of course, we can’t conquer the world all at once,” Bringas Dimitriades remarked. “We’re keeping up with demand and trying to manufacture as fast as possible. It’s never bad to sell, but it’s a problem when you sell something you don’t have and then can’t deliver.”
Future plans
Buoyed by the strong interest in Keikku, Lapsi Health is planning further enhancements, including the addition of a beats-per-minute counter that will function while the patient is auscultating, as well as features to analyse lung sounds, separating them into inspiration and expiration phases.
As Keikku is highly portable—weighing just 100 grams with a 72-hour battery life—its compact size makes it easy to misplace. To prevent this, geolocation tracking will additionally enable both patients and physicians to locate it if left behind. “It’s really cool, as doctors are always losing their stethoscopes,” the co-founder laughed.
Beyond Keikku, the company is also developing consumer devices. “We haven’t set a timeline yet, but it will be in the very near future,” hinted Bringas Dimitriades.
Through all these advancements, one constant remains for Lapsi Health: the need to enhance accuracy and efficiency. “Our goal isn’t to replace medical professionals, but to empower them.” the co-founder emphasised, “We aim to democratise sound as a signal for any consumer, so that patients receive the right care, whether in person or remotely.”
With its groundbreaking innovations in sound-based diagnostics, this startup is truly cutting through the noise of traditional healthcare approaches.
