Everyday Health researched the digital landscape to bring you our picks for the most promising and helpful technologies that can help with the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. Rather than follow traditional rehab exercises, which tend to be boring or monotonous, the video game setting makes rehab more interesting. “We know that adherence is key to recovery — so we wanted to create something that makes it fun to stick to a rehabilitation task,” says lead researcher Stephanie Rossit, PhD, from UEA School of Psychology, in a press release. RELATED: Stroke Survivors May Benefit From Same Aerobic Fitness Programs Prescribed After Heart Attacks
HeartTrends: A Less Stressful Stress Test
The HeartTrends® app is a new stress test alternative designed for early detection of ischemia, a condition in which there is decreased blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle. The app works by recording 20 minutes of your heart’s activity while doing normal daily tasks like sitting, eating, walking, and talking. Wearing a simple heart rate recorder, you get your data analyzed instantly. In collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, Lev-El Diagnostics — the makers of HeartTrends — presented a study at the 2019 American Heart Association’s meeting that looked at the connection between heart rate variability (HRV) and the presence of myocardial ischemia in healthy individuals without known coronary artery disease. Researchers found that the test improved detection of myocardial ischemia versus traditional methods, like treadmill stress testing. Dov Rubin, PhD, CEO of Lev-El Diagnostics, hopes the test will eventually get introduced as part of the annual health checkup. “Our long-term vision is that eventually HeartTrends gets integrated as part of all wearable smart devices, enabling everyone to take the test whenever they wish,” he says. RELATED: Obesity and Heart Disease: What’s the Connection?
BPM Core: A Smart Way to Keep Track of Your Blood Pressure
Among them is the BPM Core, a blood pressure monitor by French consumer electronics company Withings that tracks blood pressure, records ECG, and can detect heart abnormalities using a digital stethoscope, particularly disturbances that indicate a risk for heart valve disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Readings are instantly shown on the device, and Wi-Fi sync means you don’t need your phone nearby. The device isn’t widely available in the United States, but it is sold exclusively at Apple.com and Withings.com. Eventually, the shoe will be able to monitor health conditions like peripheral artery disease, according to the company’s website. FootWARE isn’t currently available for sale in the United States but it is expected to be released early in 2020.
