Wireless headphones can 'diagnose' heart disease

These “diagnosis” earbuds look like the other wireless earbuds used by millions of smartphone owners. They function as headphones, play audio, and include a miniature microphone. But what makes them special is that they have high-tech sensors that can measure the tiny vibrations of your heartbeat.

These vibrations are inaudible to the human ear but are picked up by sensors. The data is transmitted to a microchip in a handheld device. The device analyzes the signal for signs that could indicate a heart disorder. The results can be sent to the doctor's or the user's smartphone.

Tests with this type of wireless headset developed by the American company MindMics showed that it is also capable of detecting atrial fibrillation, blood clots inside the heart chambers.

Blood clots can travel through the blood vessels that feed the brain, causing a stroke, according to the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, atrial fibrillation causes 16,000 strokes a year in the UK. Treatments for the condition include anti-clot drugs and electroconvulsive therapy.

Holter monitors are devices with electrodes that can monitor the heart's pulseless electrical activity, but they are uncomfortable to wear and provide limited data. The Apple Watch recently added a feature that measures blood flow through the wrist and converts it into a heart rate. However, most of these devices can only monitor heart rate for 5 minutes at a time. This headset, developed by the US company MindMics, records heart rate every second.

These wireless headphones are expected to hit the US market later this year. “It seems plausible that these headphones can detect atrial fibrillation,” said Professor Francisco Leyva-Leon of Aston University in the UK. “However, they need to undergo clinical validation and are a long way from being used on a daily basis.”

According to Tin Tuc Newspaper