A reusable vest that can map the heart’s electrical impulses in detail may help prevent potentially deadly heart disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College and partially funded by the company. in cardiology that could potentially detect abnormalities much earlier than is currently possible.

In this study, an electrocardiogram imaging (ECGI) vest developed by a team at University College London (UCL) It may be possible to detect electrical changes associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited heart muscle disease.. This vest was able to detect signs of symptoms earlier than current tests.

The genetic changes that cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy cause the heart’s muscular walls to become thicker and harder, affecting the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body. It is estimated that around 1 in 500 people in the UK are affected.

sudden death screening

meanwhile Often people with the genetic mutation that causes the disease have no symptoms at all, but the disease can cause heart failure and is often cited as the most common cause of sudden unexpected death in young people. It is being

The ECGI vest has 256 sensors instead of the 12 used in a standard electrocardiogram (ECG) and can provide detailed electrical mapping of the heart in just five minutes.

Previously, this type of detailed mapping was rare and required inserting catheters into the heart or using disposable devices that were expensive and time-consuming to set up. Because the ECGI vest is reusable, it has the potential to be used as a standard screening tool.

Dr Sonya Babu Narayan, Associate Medical Director and Consultant Cardiologist, said: “ECGs have been at the heart of doctors’ diagnostic toolkits for more than 100 years, giving us a window into understanding the electrical pulses that control our heartbeats.”The Mind.

“Although further research is needed, this study suggests that ECGI vests, which collect much more detailed electrical signal data than routine electrocardiograms, may support better identification of high-risk patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It suggests that there is.”

“Some people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are particularly susceptible to cardiac arrest. may provide an opportunity to define the

The new study looked at 174 patients and 37 healthy volunteers from three London hospitals who had previously undergone genetic testing for HCM. Patients included not only people who already had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but also people who carried the genetic mutation that causes the disease but had no obvious signs of the disease.

“It has the potential to stop the disease completely.”

The research team found that the ECGI vest identified electrical abnormalities in a quarter of people with the genetic mutation, where current standard tests did not detect any signs of the disease.

Lead author Dr George Joy, BHF Clinical Research Training Fellow at UCL, said: This means we may be able to take action earlier and provide new treatments to slow the progression of the disease, as well as quickly enter clinical trials that have the potential to stop the disease altogether. It is important because ”

“Next steps in the study include repeating these results in a larger group of patients and looking over time to see how these early electrical changes affect the risk of later life-threatening heart rhythms. It includes doing.”

This research was also supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the Medical Research Council, UCLH and the NIHR Biomedical Research Center at Barts Health NHS Trust.

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