Can Smartphones Save Us From a Heart Attack?

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Mar 27, 2013
2

If you ever referred to your smartphone as your lifeline, those words are about to ring more true than ever. A group of Swiss scientists from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a small medical implant that can alert the patient’s smartphone with a special ring tone hours before a heart attack strikes.

ExtremeTech reports about the device and how it also works to track glucose levels, lactate, and ATP which can help with patients who have diabetes. They believe a device like this may also be used in cancer patients as a way to calibrate the exact dosage of treatments they need (a process that usually requires a lot of time and numerous blood tests).

It is widely known that a patient’s best chance of surviving a heart attack is early intervention. If we can be alerted to the onset of a heart attack hours before it even occurs, early hospital care and intervention can begin sooner than ever before.

The implant device is still in the beginning stages and there are likely to be a few kinks to work out. As of now there are just a few sensors that detect things like the amount of troponin in the blood (a smooth muscle protein that our heart begins to break down before a heart attack begins). But scientists will likely add more sensors that can detect the onset of many differing ailments.

What do you think of these types of medical implants that can predict the onset of a heart attack and send the message to your smart phone?

Would you consider using a device like this if it was recommended by your doctor?

 

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basilandcatnip by basilandcatnip | GARLAND, TX
Mar 29, 2013

For the most serious of cases. But what if patient doesn't own or subscribe to smart phone service, which many of the seniors I know... don't, can't afford to/don't understand technology/can't see the small buttons to work it. Would be great to have info go to wrist watch or necklace then get uploaded at drs appt. Makes sure med staff sees the data, and gives excuse to talk more with the patient. Or the device sends an email/alert to family or neighbor to go check on person.

RoyalT by RoyalT | NEW YORK, NY
Mar 27, 2013

Wow. this is such a great innovation for patients and their families.