SHL Telemedicine recently announced the Smartheart, a lightweight personal ECG. The device, about the size of the average smartphone, is strapped around the chest and records a full 12-lead ECG. The strap seems to include many of the ecg electrodes that are normally attached separately to the chest. One separate lead is still needed that connects to the lower left part of the belly. The device is to be used in conjunction with a mobile app, available on iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry, which connects to the ECG wirelessly and captures the ECG within about 30 seconds. The results can be emailed to the cardiologist or hospital, and the device will sport some form of automatic assessment.
A few questions about the device still remain unanswered. While we can see how this device will be able to measure the V1-V6 leads, it is still a mystery how it will produce accurate results for each of the limb leads. Also it will be interesting to see if the company can limit the amount of false positives that often plague automatic ECG interpretations. The device is planned to be released coming fall, and still has to achieve regulatory approval. The device itself will cost 500 dollars, while a subscription based analysis and medical advice service will cost under 20 dollars a month. The announcement of the Smartheart was recently made at Disrupt NYC, an event organized by Techcrunch.
Source: Techcrunch: Smartheart Turns Your Mobile Phone Into A Heart Monitor…
Product page: Smartheart…
(hat tip: iMedicalapps)