Wearable ECG patch could ‘redefine’ monitoring of cardiac health

Nearly 200 million people around the globe have coronary heart disease, which accounts for about one in every six deaths, according to the British Heart Foundation.

A group of researchers from Australia and India have developed a prototype wearable electronic electrocardiogram (ECG) device for enhanced point-of-care diagnostics, with the work published in Applied Physics Reviews last month.

In a statement, author Peter Francis Mathew Elango, said: “We did a deep dive into the world of wearable ECG devices. We focused on a critical aspect, how the design and materials of the electrodes impact their performance, and the findings were quite illuminating.”

Typically, Ag/AgCl electrodes, also known as ‘wet’ electrodes, are used in devices to measure ECG signals and include a conductive gel to enhance electrical signalling. However, the researchers stated that these are known to be uncomfortable, irritating to the skin, and prone to drying out.

The study focused on the advantages of using active ‘dry’ electrodes for ECG signalling, instead, and stated that these worked better for an ‘effective and promising’ prototype of the device.