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Heart failure is a serious condition and a leading cause of hospitalization for individuals over the age of 65. Its symptoms mimic those of other cardiac disorders, necessitating multiple tests for accurate diagnosis. One promising technology for detecting heart failure is seismocardiography – measuring heart vibrations transmitted to the chest wall. And the sensors necessary for such analysis are already embedded in your smartphone.
Researchers at the University of Turku in Finland have devised a new technology that utilizes a regular smartphone to conduct seismocardiography. Collaborating with colleagues from the Stanford Center for Clinical Research, they have assessed the accuracy of such measurements in detecting heart failure.
Research Details
Scientists collected data from patients at university hospitals in Turku and Helsinki, Finland, and at the Stanford University hospital in the United States. A smartphone was placed on the patient’s chest, and heart vibrations were recorded using microelectromechanical sensors.
In total, the study involved over 1000 individuals, of whom over 200 had heart failure. The average age of participants with acute heart failure was 64 ± 13 years, with 64.9% being male. Subsequently, the researchers compared the data provided by motion sensors in patients with heart failure to those without cardiac conditions.
Smartphone Motion Sensors Detect Heart Failure
Researchers have found that heart failure is associated with typical changes in the data collected by the smartphone’s motion sensor. Based on this data, researchers were able to identify most patients with heart failure.
The analysis of movements detected by the gyroscope and accelerometer is so precise that it could become a new standard for diagnosing this disorder.
The results we obtained with this new method are promising and may in the future make it easier to detect heart failure.
Antti Saraste, one of the two main authors of the research article and the Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Turku
Detecting heart failure is crucial because effective treatment can help alleviate its symptoms. The ability for remote monitoring could prevent complications from occurring until life-threatening exacerbations arise.
