Wearable heart monitor measures variability

It’s no secret wearables are in fashion these days. In the first three months of 2016 alone, more than a quarter billion dollars in venture capital was invested in the booming market.

Now, one Canadian hospital is hoping to use digital monitoring to improve care in its ICU. Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, is using biometric devices from biotricty Inc. to determine the effectiveness of monitoring heart rate variability (HRV) to predict the onset of illness.

The devices aim to improve data available to healthcare providers, since many current monitors only sample heart rate at an interval, instead of measuring the time between each single beat.

“AHS will utilize biotricity’s medical grade, high-resolution ECG and wireless communication capabilities as a perioperative wellness and recovery monitor which we believe will improve outcomes and reduce complications,” said David Liepert, MD, a University of Calgary professor and Rockyview anesthesiologist who is leading the study.

The researchers will aim to use biotricity’s monitors to follow a patient from pre-surgery, through the procedure, and throughout recovery. The research team believes the monitor could result in a reduction of post-surgery complications such as wound infections and blood clots.