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 BBC Breakfast NewsA doctor and patient explain how the device works  real 28k |
Portable heart monitor could spot attacks
Valuable minutes are often lost before treatment begins |
A personal ECG (electrocardiogram) machine the size of a mobile phone could save lives by helping doctors check on the condition of patients with heart problems.
The device, which is attached to the body by three electrodes, can send health information along a telephone line for doctors to instantly interpret.
They can then summon an ambulance if necessary, dramatically cutting the time it takes to reach hospital.
Ray Howell finds the device "reassuring" |
On average, research has shown that heart attack victims wait three hours before contacting a doctor for help.
This limits the amount of time that a hospital has to give medication which can limit the damage.
Portable reassurance
Ray Howell, a heart patient who has been wearing the device following a major operation, said that he found it reassuring.
The device is the size of a mobile phone |
"I found it very easy to use, and easy to transmit over the phone."
Two of the three electrodes fit under the arms, and the other beneath the belt. All the patient has to do is transmit his or her "normal" baseline heart rhythm for the doctors to store and compare with later transmissions.
Professor Hylton Miller, the President of HeartWatch Direct, which markets the device, said: "The advantage of the device is that the patient gets an immediate dignosis, an expert diagnosis."
He said that while the cost, at £400 for the device and £50 a month for the 24-hour on-call service, was high, it would come down over time.
He said that the company planned to develop similar devices to measure the condition of asthma patients, and even measure the foetal heartbeat of pregnant women
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Internet links: |
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British Heart Foundation |
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Heart Information Network |
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HeartWatch Direct |
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