New Wearable Technology Aims to Support Heart Disease Monitoring

Published in Advanced Electronic Materials, new research from the University of Texas at Austin describes a newly developed electronic tattoo device that allows for consistent heart disease monitoring through sensors attached to the chest.

In the US, heart disease is the most common cause of death for men, women, and people of most ethnic groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC also noted that in 2020, 697,000 people in the US died because of heart disease.

Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin posited that leveraging new technology could enhance support for this condition.

“Most heart conditions are not very obvious. The damage is being done in the background and we don’t even know it,” said Nanshu Lu, PhD, a professor in the Department of Aerospace and Engineering Mechanics at UT Austin and a lead author of the study, in a press release. “If we can have continuous, mobile monitoring at home, then we can do early diagnosis and treatment, and if that can be done, 80% of heart disease can be prevented.”

Researchers aimed to reach this goal by developing a lightweight electronic tattoo device, also known as an e-tattoo. This e-tattoo attaches to the chest and uses two sensors to continuously monitor heart health.

The e-tattoo is 2.5 grams in weight and contains a penny-sized battery. The device can collect electrocardiogram (ECG) and seismocardiogram (SCG) measurements.

“Those two measurements, electrical and mechanical, together can provide a much more comprehensive and complete picture of what’s happening with the heart,” said Lu. “There are many more heart characteristics that could be extracted out of the two synchronously measured signals in a noninvasive manner.”

Although this project was a continuation of a previous effort, researchers added a mobility feature to this version. They found that the system reported a low error rate after testing the device on five patients. The next step will consist of result validation along with expanding its use to more populations.

Amid the rapid growth of healthcare technology and the prevalence of heart conditions, many researchers have worked to develop wearable heart monitors.

In December 2022, a group of researchers from the University of Missouri received a large grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that led to the creation of breathable material for a wearable heart monitor.

Researchers noted that due to the high prevalence of heart disease in the US, early detection and timely intervention are critical to improving outcomes. Through the monitor, dual signals can simultaneously measure ECG and SCG data, giving researchers the ability to constantly monitor heart health. This data can then be recorded onto an electronic device and given to a healthcare provider.