New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) US researchers said on Monday that they have developed a wearable monitor that can track a person’s heart rate.
However, the team from the Duke Clinical Research Institute in North Carolina, US, said ‘heart monitors did not reduce the number of hospitalisations due to stroke’.
According to the study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, about 12,000 patients were registered in the US. Those who were at least 70 years old. They had no history of atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation means irregular heartbeats. This was not the case in these patients. About half of the patients were monitored through the device for 14 days. While the others were given normal care.
After 15 months of follow-up, the study found a 52 percent increase in the number of cases of atrial fibrillation diagnosed among device wearers, compared with those receiving usual care.
Heart rate monitors contain sensors and track the heart or pulse rate.
These devices are also available in smartwatches and are able to track heart rate during exercise, monitor heart rate for stress, and help alert people if something is likely to happen. But these cannot be a substitute for more accurate medical devices.
–IANS
DKM/KR
