Heart attacks can be a silent killer, with many people unaware that they are at risk until it’s too late. Early detection is key to saving lives, and a new study has found that a wrist-worn sensor may be able to help in this effort. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, shows that the sensor can accurately predict the likelihood of a suspected heart attack in patients with chest pain.

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked, usually by a blood clot. This causes damage to the heart muscle, and can be life-threatening if not treated quickly. Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain, shortness of breath, and nausea.

Current methods for diagnosing heart attacks

The current gold standard for diagnosing a heart attack is to perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) and measure levels of troponin, a protein that is released when the heart muscle is damaged. However, these tests are not always accurate, and can miss early signs of a heart attack

Study

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, used a wrist-worn sensor to measure the electrical activity of the heart in patients with suspected heart attacks. The sensor, which is worn like a watch, uses machine learning algorithms to analyze the data and predict the likelihood of a heart attack.

The study included 4,557 patients who were admitted to the emergency department with chest pain, and underwent standard tests for diagnosing a heart attack. The wrist-worn sensor was used to record the electrical activity of the heart in each patient for 30 seconds.

Results

The researchers found that the wrist-worn sensor was able to accurately predict the likelihood of a heart attack in 83% of patients. This is a significant improvement over current methods, which have an accuracy rate of around 50-60%.

The researchers also found that the wrist-worn sensor was able to identify patients who were at low risk of a heart attack, allowing them to be discharged from the emergency department without further testing. This could help to reduce the burden on emergency departments and allow resources to be allocated more efficiently.

Next steps

While the results of this study are promising, further research is needed to validate the findings in larger populations and in different healthcare settings. The researchers also plan to explore the potential of the wrist-worn sensor for monitoring patients with heart conditions in the community.

Conclusion

Heart attacks are a major cause of death worldwide, and early detection is key to saving lives. The wrist-worn sensor developed by researchers at the University of Edinburgh shows early promise for accurately predicting the likelihood of a heart attack in patients with chest pain. If validated in further studies, this technology could revolutionize the way that heart attacks are diagnosed and treated, potentially saving countless lives.

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