University of Mississippi engineers have created a cutting-edge chip for wearable devices that can detect heart attacks in real-time, offering a groundbreaking advancement in heart disease treatment.
Every second can make a life-or-death difference when it comes to heart attacks. Engineers at the University of Mississippi have developed a wearable technology capable of detecting heart attacks in real time, dramatically improving the speed and accuracy of diagnosis.
In a study published in Intelligent Systems, Blockchain and Communication Technologies, a team led by Kasem Khalil, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, has revealed a novel device that uses artificial intelligence and sophisticated algorithms to analyze electrocardiograms (ECGs) – the electrical signals of the heart – to identify heart attacks as they occur.
“For this issue, a few minutes or even a few extra seconds is going to give this person the care they need before it becomes worse,” Khalil said in a news release. “Compared to traditional methods, our technology is up to two times faster, while still highly accurate.”
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming a life every 40 seconds. Early and accurate detection of heart attacks can drastically reduce fatalities, making innovations like this indispensable.
The technology, lightweight and energy efficient enough to be integrated into wearable devices, boasts an impressive accuracy rate of 92.4%, surpassing many current detection methods. It exemplifies a significant leap forward in portable medical diagnostics, expanding the potential for real-time health monitoring.
“We wanted to be able to implement this in a way that is real,” added co-author Tamador Mohaidat, a doctoral student in Khalil’s lab. “This is portable hardware that can be in wearable or monitoring devices. This method will save lives because we can monitor the heart in real time.”
Building this innovation was a collaborative effort. Md. Rahat Kader Khan, a second-year computer engineering graduate student from Dhaka, Bangladesh, focused on the software necessary for the device.
Khan noted the holistic approach the Khalil lab takes.
“Some labs only focus on the software part, and they don’t think about the hardware that’s needed. But in our lab, we focus on the whole product. Each of us has a responsibility, but we work together,” he said in the news release. “That’s how we optimize the whole system, by focusing on the overall architecture.”
Current heart attack diagnosis often involves time-consuming procedures in medical facilities, such as electrocardiograms and blood tests, delaying critical treatment. A wearable device that can immediately signal a heart attack would revolutionize this process, providing instantaneous data to both the patient and medical professionals.
“When a patient is having a heart attack, the sooner you can treat them, the less likely they are to have permanent damage,” Khalil added. “There’s a huge time-sensitive element to heart attacks.”
Looking ahead, Khalil sees broader applications for the team’s technology.
“We want to be able to predict or identify many problems using technology like this,” he added. “Whether that’s heart attacks or seizures or dementia. The detection of a disease or condition depends on the disease itself, but we’re working to find faster, more efficient ways of doing that.”
Source: University of Mississippi