A Smart Phone ECG

A patent has finally been granted to an innovative idea that was mooted in the 1990s by physician-inventor David Albert (chief medical officer at AliveCor, San Francisco) -- a wireless personal electrocardiogram (ECG) device.

As could very well be surmised, this is another feather in the cap of the 'smart' phone. The patent is for an ECG device that looks like a smart phone case and snaps in place around the phone. The device has embedded sensors to measure the electrical activity of the heart. The associated electronic circuitry analyzes the data and sends it wirelessly to the smart phone. Yes, the smart phone has to be loaded with an 'app' (in this case AliveECG, made by AliveCor) that can interface the data to a distant physician for live examination over a secure network. All that the user needs to do is to place his fingers on the sensors after starting the app. The ECG readout provided by the app may not be as complete as a typical  hospital ECG machine, but it could provide critical data for correct diagnosis.

Now that a beginning has been made in harnessing the smart phone to diagnose heart problems, it will not be long before software enhancements will be released that could automatically zero in on dangerous medical problems and alert the physician without wasting critical moments. Patents are pending for such an application that could detect atrial fibrillation, a common cause for about a third of the strokes that occur.

Science has finally put medical diagnostic power into the hands of the man in the street.

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