A new invention from scientists at Imperial College London could change the way heart diseases are detected in everyday life.
Researchers are developing a smart T‑shirt powered by artificial intelligence that can monitor the heart continuously while a person goes about normal daily activities.
The goal is to find dangerous heart rhythm problems early, especially rare inherited conditions that are often missed by standard tests.
Heart rhythm disorders can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness, or fainting may appear only occasionally. At present, people with suspected heart problems are often sent home with a portable electrocardiogram device, known as an ECG monitor.
This device uses sticky pads placed on the chest and wires connected to a small recorder worn on the waist. Although effective, the system can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, especially when showering or sleeping. Most people only wear it for one or two days, which may not be long enough to capture rare events.
The new smart T‑shirt aims to solve these problems. The shirt looks and feels like ordinary sports clothing but has up to fifty tiny sensors built into the fabric. These sensors record the electrical signals of the heart in a way similar to an ECG.
Because the shirt is comfortable and washable, it can be worn for a week or even longer, greatly increasing the chance of detecting irregular heart rhythms.
The project has special meaning for people like Carly Benge, a teacher who has Brugada syndrome, a serious inherited condition that can cause sudden cardiac death. The disorder affects the electrical system of the heart and may not show clear signs until a dangerous episode occurs.
Carly discovered she had the condition only after her sister was diagnosed during pregnancy. Since the disorder often runs in families, her children may also be at risk. For families like hers, earlier detection could save lives and reduce constant anxiety.
Inherited heart conditions affect hundreds of thousands of people in the United Kingdom alone and are believed to cause sudden death in many young people each year.
These conditions may cause fainting, breathlessness, or palpitations during normal activities such as exercise or even while resting. However, hospital tests often appear normal because irregular rhythms do not happen at the exact moment of testing. This makes diagnosis especially challenging.
To improve detection, researchers will train the artificial intelligence system using heart data from more than one thousand people, including both healthy volunteers and patients with known conditions. The AI will learn to recognize subtle patterns that signal danger.
After training, the smart T‑shirt will be tested on patients at a specialized heart research center in London. Participants will wear the shirt for extended periods to see how well it identifies serious problems.
The design allows people to sleep, work, and move freely while being monitored, making it suitable even for children in the future. Scientists hope the technology could also help detect more common conditions such as atrial fibrillation, which increases the risk of stroke. If successful, the device could become available in hospitals within about five years.
This study shows how combining wearable technology with artificial intelligence could transform healthcare. Continuous monitoring outside the hospital provides a more realistic picture of a person’s heart function during everyday life. It also reduces the burden on patients, who would no longer need bulky equipment or repeated hospital visits.
However, the technology must be carefully tested to ensure accuracy and reliability. False alarms could cause unnecessary anxiety, while missed signals could delay treatment. Researchers must also address privacy concerns because sensitive health data will be collected continuously. Despite these challenges, the potential benefits are enormous.
In conclusion, the smart T‑shirt represents a promising step toward earlier diagnosis of hidden heart conditions. By allowing long‑term monitoring in a comfortable way, it could help doctors detect life‑threatening problems before symptoms become severe.
If proven effective, this innovation may prevent sudden deaths and offer peace of mind to families at risk. The study highlights how modern technology can move healthcare from the hospital into daily life, making prevention easier and more effective.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and Vitamin C linked to lower risk of heart failure.
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