Instead of a dozen or so electrodes, the technique uses 224 of them, all woven into a chain mail-like vest worn by the patient. The electrode-based recordings are then combined with computerized X-rays taken at the same time.

Algorithms process the data to map the electrical impulses of the heart as they travel through the muscle, revealing the places where cardiac rhythms go awry.

The technique, called electrocardiographic imaging, provides a close approximation of the electrical measurements obtained when doctors thread catheters through the body to the heart and assess electrical activity there directly.

Yoram Rudy, a professor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University, has developed the method over 20 years. Using the imaging system, he said, "we have noninvasively reconstructed and located initiation sites of arrhythmic activity in the heart with an accuracy of 10 millimeters or better." Normally, he said, detailed information on such activity could be obtained only by putting electrodes in direct contact with the heart.

[New York Times]
7:51:57 AM    

Via Isabelle Hontebeyrie. MedicTouch LLC, a mobile health device and application company has announced in February the launch of the Pulse Meter mobile health solution.
"The Palm mobile PulseMeter is the first strapless mobile health application that allows the user to monitor their pulse and transmit it wireless, view the results in a high resolution palm screen, save them in an archive and transmit them via the Blue-tooth feature to a web-server. Palm mobile PulseMeter used with a palm-powered device creates a solution for sport enthusiasts, the elderly, outpatients and healthcare providers, with need for any chest bend. Users no longer require an additional device for their basic health monitoring. The Palm serves as the perfect platform for both PDA computing and for monitoring wellness."

7:46:54 AM