Smartphone apps are getting smarter with the passage of time; from being a simple game to serious business making tools they are surely making their mark in every field including health.
A new smartphone app has been developed that can be used to detect Atrial fibrillation, which is a dangerous medical condition leading to heart stroke, researchers were reported as saying by Tech Times.
According to the study, published in the journal European Society of Cardiology, a team of researchers from University of Turku and Finland has developed a low-cost app that uses the smartphone’s own accelerometer and gyroscope to detect Atrial fibrillation with existing hardware.
“Atrial fibrillation is a dangerous medical condition present in two per cent 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.
The condition is hard to detect, because it occurs irregularly. However, the condition leads to 70 percent of strokes, so it is crucial to detect, to carry on with pre-emptive medication.
The researchers tested their developed app carrying Atrial fibrillation detecting algorithm, a smartphone was placed on the chest of the patient, and accelerometer and gyroscope recordings were taken, Tech Radar reported.
Using this technology the researchers were able to detect Atrial fibrillation with a accuracy of more than 95 per cent.
"We measured the actual motion of the heart via miniature accelerometers and gyroscopes that are already installed in smartphones,” said Koivisto.
"Given the widespread use of smartphones, it has the potential to be used by large populations worldwide," added Koivisto. And the good thing is no additional hardware is needed, those at risk of Atrial fibrillation only need to install the app and monitor their heat condition.
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