These shopping carts can detect AFib

A British study found that sensors placed in the handles of shopping carts can be used to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib). Further work is needed to improve the accuracy of the system, but it could be an easy way to screen for heart disease that is not routinely diagnosed.

Challenge: in good health heartthe two upper chambers beat in synchrony at a constant pace, but in the estimated 40 million people with atrial fibrillation worldwide, this beat is uncoordinated and usually either too fast or too slow. Too much.

Having AFib increases the risk of having atrial fibrillation. stroke five times, but are taking anticoagulants You can mitigate this risk. However, most people with atrial fibrillation have no symptoms, and doctors usually don’t screen Asymptomatic people with disabilities.

As a result, we estimate that 15% of AFib cases Not diagnosed.

Having AFib increases the risk of having a stroke fivefold.

idea: Seeking ways to reduce the number of undiagnosed atrial fibrillation patients, researchers at Liverpool John Moores University decided to see if screening could be part of people’s daily lives.

To do so, they embedded electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors into the handles of 10 shopping carts. For two months they deployed We examined four supermarket carts in Liverpool to see if we could detect AFib in aspiring shoppers.

How to buy: The 2,155 adults who accepted the researchers’ offer to use the cart were asked to hold the wheel for at least 60 seconds while shopping. If the sensor doesn’t detect her AFib, the light on the sensor turns green. When it detects a condition, the light turns red.

The patient’s pulse was manually checked by an in-store pharmacist between each reading. If the sensor turned red, the pharmacist also took another electrocardiogram. This time the shopper stood still and grabbed a handle that had a sensor but was not attached to the cart.

Study cardiologists then reviewed ECG recordings from 220 individuals identified as having possible atrial fibrillation by sensor or pharmacist pulse readings. They told 59 of their shoppers that they had atrial fibrillation and made cardiology appointments for 39 previously undiagnosed.

Cardiologists cured symptoms in 115 of the 220 patients, but were unable to determine either based on the ECG recordings of the remaining 46.

cold water: The accuracy of this approach needs improvement. Only 26% of patients flagged for AFib received a positive diagnosis from a cardiologist. Even if the 46 ‘ambiguous’ results were assumed to be AFib, the positive accuracy was less than 50%.

The study authors also speculate that their approach likely Missed About half of people also have atrial fibrillation.

Future outlook: The researchers acknowledge that the system may need to be adjusted to improve accuracy, but believe that specifying a grip spot on the handle might help, although this method may help more people. We remain optimistic that it may lead to the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.

“Over a two-month period, we identified 39 patients who were unaware of atrial fibrillation,” study author Ian Jones said. “This corresponds to 39 people at higher risk of stroke who were seen by a cardiologist.”

“Although nearly two-thirds of the shoppers we approached were happy to use the cart, the majority of those who declined were in a hurry rather than wary of being monitored,” he added. rice field. “This shows that the concept is accepted by most people and is worth testing in a large study.”

We look forward to hearing from you! If you have any comments about this article, or tips for future Freethink stories, please email us at: [email protected].