Simple technique allows home monitoring of long QT syndrome

Previously people needed to have an ECG in hospital that was interpreted by a highly trained clinician. In new research published in PLoS One, scientists show that if colour is applied the right way then people can easily monitor hospital-level health data themselves.

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An ECG shows complex signal data representing the heart’s electrical activity and is vital for detecting cardiac pathologies.

In a statement, Manchester University’s Dr Caroline Jay said: “For decades we’ve assumed that only medical experts can interpret ECGs. We now have evidence that if you display an ECG in the right way, it can easily be interpreted by a patient.”

The breakthrough could be valuable in evaluating the risk of long QT syndrome, a heart rhythm problem that occurs when the heart muscle takes longer than normal to recharge between beats. Many common medications can cause this, potentially leading to sudden death due to arrhythmia.