A revolutionary new vest may help diagnose abnormal heart rhythms. The ECVUE vest from CardioInsight is the first of its kind, a non-Invasive Electrocardiographic Mapping System which creates a complete picture of the heart; enabling healthcare professionals to pinpoint where abnormal electrical activity is occurring within the heart, cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure.
At west London’s Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, cardiologists have been performing the first UK tests to diagnose people suffering from heart palpitations more precisely.
So how does it work?
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Patients wear the vest during a number of tests so doctors can pinpoint where the heart irregularities are occurring and under what circumstances.
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The vest is fitted with around 250 electrodes which monitors the heart’s electrical activity from multiple angles, allowing for the precise location of abnormality to be located.
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An electric map of the patient’s heart is then generated and combined with a CT scan to produce a 3D computer image and used for analysis and diagnosis.
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Doctors are then able to treat the exact area causing problems.
2 million people in the UK suffer from heart arrhythmia, many of which are undiagnosed. The vest will cost around £1000, which is competitive with other diagnosis techniques currently in use.