Swiss university creates cardiac issues detector

Swiss technological university EPFL said Tuesday it created an electronic system that detects cardiac problems instantly and passes on the data through a mobile phone to medical personnel.

The system includes small detectors that would be worn by the patient, and which are to follow the cardiac rhythm in real time.

In case of any anomalies, "different information would be sent to the patient's smartphone and then transmitted by SMS or email to the medical team, which can take adequate measures".

"The system allows one to obtain very precise and reliable data, it is equipped with a very efficient sound filter and contains batteries that can last three to four weeks," said David Atienza, an EPFL assistant professor.

The system also "ensures automatic analysis of the data" and their "transmission under a compressed format to the doctor".

Cardiovascular diseases are the biggest killer in the world. According to the WHO, about a third of the world's deaths are due to such illnesses, including 70,000 to 100,000 sudden deaths.

(c) 2011 AFP