Heartsense aims to streamline portable ECG technology

If doctors want to check someone's heart rate while that person is on the go, the patient must wear what is called a Holter monitoring. But that may well change. British scientists have developed what they claim to be a cheaper, more comfortable and simpler alternative: the Heartsense monitoring.

Not to be confused with the fetal heart monitoring of the same name, Heartsense, designed by the University of Cambridge, is attached to the patient's chest; like a heart rate sensor that we use for sports. There, the waterproof device monitors the heart rate via a three-point electrocardiogram (ECG). It also measures the body's internal temperature and the oxygen saturation of the blood.

The raw data is transmitted over a wireless connection to a cloud server. This is where algorithms based on artificial intelligence sort through everything to detect irregular heart rhythms; and / or dangerous. But that's not all. They can also detect possible respiratory problems. The results are displayed and recorded on a smartphone application in real time. It thus offers a data consultation space for the patient's doctor.

On the other hand, the use of a Holter monitoring requires the connection of several wired wires to the wearer's chest. Another disadvantage: according to the university, the analysis of all the data collected by such a device can take several weeks. And while there are already portable, single-line, less bulky ECGs, its inventors explain that Heartsense is much more sensitive; in laboratory tests, it was more than 95% accurate compared to a non-portable ECG.

Heartsense was invented by Professor Roberto Cipolla of Cambridge and cardiologist Doctor Rameen Shakur. It is already available and marketed by the spin-off company Cambridge Heartwear. It should cost "significantly less" than a Holter monitoring.

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