Sudden cardiac death

has developed two new algorithms that, when used together, may help doctors predict whether a patient is at risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD).

And, for the first time, the algorithms can be used in combination with technology that is portable, making diagnostic tests available to patients anytime and anywhere.

SCD, or death resulting from an abrupt increase to a heart rate that is too fast, accounts for approximately 930 deaths in the US each day, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

GE’s two new algorithms – the Marquette T-Wave Alternans algorithm and the Marquette Heart Rate Turbulence algorithm – when inputted with ambulatory electrocardiography (ECG) data have been shown to help predict if a person is at risk for SCD.

Ambulatory ECG data, also known as Holter monitoring, is a technique commonly used by physicians to investigate whether a patient’s symptoms, such as fainting, dizziness, or palpitations, are caused by a heartbeat that is too slow, too fast, or very irregular.