Cardiolab in your pocket
Published 19 October, 2009, 11:18
Edited 19 October, 2009, 23:41
Heart disease is a major problem in Russia, but a new heart monitoring device may allow detecting the signs of heart disease early, and without the need for a hospital trip.
Being in the top percentile of countries with the highest rates of heart disease is indeed a dubious honor, but it is one that Russia can unfortunately claim. According to the World Heart Federation, cardiovascular disease is responsible for more than 55% of deaths in the country and 30% of deaths under the age of 65.
To combat the problem, doctors are now testing new technologies to help with early diagnosis.
“We all know about blood pressure. Every family has a BP meter. But in addition to pressure, it is extremely crucial to know the condition of artery walls, because that’s where problems start – stenosis, cholesterol, and so on. And earlier there was no easy way to tell what the condition of the walls is. But now we have designed this new device,” explains Dr Aleksandr Parfyonov, inventor of the device called “AngioSkan”.
It simply clips on to the end of a finger and blocks flood flow just like a BP meter does. For about a minute, sensors read pulse waves arriving through the arteries. Then special software analyzes the data for signs of problems with the cardiovascular system.
Currently, a bigger version of AngioSkan is being used by the professional medical community, but the hope is to have the technology available for domestic use as well.
“I spent 25 years working in cardio diagnostics. And I realized that we need to emphasize preventive cardiology; otherwise it will be too late. Neither the government nor the people have enough money to provide everybody with bypass surgery,” says Parfyonov.
In keeping with the idea of prevention, the system is now being used by some gyms in Moscow to supplement information about the health of their clients.
“In our gyms, we always test people first to see how fit they are and how much exercise they can take. Since our prices are moderate and we have a lot of clients, we really need such a device for a quick initial examination,” Larisa Lovtsevich from Planet Fitness gym chain.
Of course, even the best diagnostic technology does not a healthy person make. In order to obtain favorable test results, nothing can beat sage advice: less alcohol, tobacco, and unhealthy food, and more exercise.
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