Smart T-Shirt Detects Hidden Heart Conditions

Researchers have created a groundbreaking 'smart T-shirt' featuring up to 50 integrated sensors designed to detect rare, inherited heart conditions. This innovative wearable technology aims to simplify the diagnosis process, which currently relies on less comfortable and shorter-duration portable monitoring devices. The T-shirt can be worn for up to a week, providing a more extended period for data collection compared to the typical one to two-day use of current portable ECGs.

Developed through a collaboration between the British Heart Foundation and Imperial College London, the smart T-shirt collects continuous heart data. This information is transmitted to a computer where a specialized AI system analyzes it. The AI identifies concerning patterns and flags them for a doctor's review. This advancement holds the potential to benefit approximately 340,000 individuals in the UK who have inherited heart conditions that could lead to life-threatening arrhythmias. The technology is anticipated to be available for clinical use in about five years, with potential future applications for monitoring children and conditions like atrial fibrillation.