A custom-made device was used for the acquisition, digitization, compression, storage and telephone transmission of respiratory sounds and airflow data. Acoustical information from two patients at a small community in rural Manitoba was sent over a distance of 500 km via conventional telephone lines. Digital transmission left the respiratory sounds unaffected by telephone line noise. Data processing by computer at the receiving site provided more detail than would have been available on conventional auscultation. This new method for teleauscultation could be of value not only in remote areas but also for the surveillance of patients at home in urban settings.