A cool thing happened today

[attimes_bracing]

Now I have moved into the strategy team we get a number of random people coming round with all sorts of ideas.  When I started with the Hospital a few years ago I observed surgery carried out by one of our Thoracic surgeons.  He popped by today to show us a new gadget.

He got me to sit down and gave me a metal oblong with rubber on one side and was about 10cm by 5cm.  You relax and put your hands on your lap holding this small piece of metal and pressing your thumbs into it.  It reads your heart rate (64) and after 30 seconds gives you an ECG assessment.

I have a normal ECG and it took 30 seconds of my thumbs and the surgeon's iphone.

There are times when the future of medicine makes me grin.

Comments

[history-monk.livejournal.com]

If that's reliable, it is indeed very cool. How complex are the sensors? Could this get incorporated into FitBit-style devices?

[attimes-bracing.livejournal.com]

It's exactly what I would expect my HR to be. Despite my weight I have a normal pulse and a normal HR. But the woman before me was pregnant and clocked in at 108 which was again to be expected. Sensors seemed to work. Couldn't see them - you just press on the rubber. I don't even know what it's called as I expect it was a free trial gadget given to the surgeon. As for a fit bit I would question if the contact points would be good enough to get a reading.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

That is indeed very cool.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

You can do a basic ECG (not very reliable) with three electrodes, one on one arm and two on the other; most of the ECGs sold to schools for AL biology work like that - usually they sell around £100 and at that are overpriced because they have to be compatible with a data-logging package of some sort, and the interfaces are grossly horrendously expensive for what they do.

I can't see any reason for it to be impossible to do it through the fingers, but I'd imagine there might be a hit on accuracy. But if the link is bluetooth there's no special interface, which ought to get the price way down. VERY interesting.

Is it this one?
http://www.alivecor.com/home