It seems that smartphones can do just about anything these days including monitoring your heartbeat and alerting you and your doctor to any possible danger. The new device, developed jointly by the Embedded Systems and Telecommunications Circuits Lab at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Laussanne uses smartphone technology and could be a life saving innovation for heart patients according to Swiss researchers.

 The actual device is a small, lightweight monitor that features four non-invasive electrode sensors attached to the skin which are linked to a radio module and computer chip which clips to a patient's belt. The data is then fed to the patient's smartphone where it can be viewed in real time for up to 150 hours on a single charge.

David Atienza, head of the Embedded Sytems Lab says, "many of the problems with the heart are not very well understood. It's very difficult for doctors to anticipate what is going to happen". Atienza added, "this device will provide a better understanding of what is going on". This device has been almost four years in the making from more bulky Holter monitors which are usually worn by patients 24 hours at a time.

Cardiologist Etienne Pruvot from Lausanne University Hospitals Cardiology Service is extremely excited about the potential of this device. "It's size, it's lightness, it's ease of use, the fact that it measures continuously and remotely, which allows analysis to take place anywhere, makes this device very attractive to doctors," Pruvot said. The research is part of a wider project called "Guardian Angels for a Smarter Life" in the hopes of developing small, autonomous and affordable technology to monitor health and prevent accidents.

Heart Monitor
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