Health security

Smartphones can be used to identify atrial fibrillation with existing hardware

Smartphones can be used to detect atrial fibrillation with existing hardware, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2016 today. A low-cost application (app) has been developed that uses the phone's own accelerometer and gyroscope to check for atrial fibrillation.

"Atrial fibrillation is a dangerous medical condition present in 2% of the global population and accounting for up to seven million strokes per year," said lead author Tero Koivisto, a vice-director of the Technology Research Centre (TRC), University of Turku, Finland. "In the European Union alone this heart rhythm disorder costs approximately USD $19 billion every year."

Around 70% of strokes due to atrial fibrillation could be avoided with pre-emptive medication. However, atrial fibrillation often occurs randomly on/off and is difficult to detect by visiting a doctor. There are relatively large and costly electrocardiogram (ECG) devices that patients can take home for long-term monitoring but they require a patch or wires that are clumsy to use and continuous contact with electrodes tends to irritate the skin.