From ECGs to AI, advances in diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and how to prevent it
On World Heart Day, we look at advances in detecting risks of heart attack and stroke, and steps being taken to promote healthy lifestyles
Today you can wear a smartwatch that measures your blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation levels, and earbuds that relay the information directly to you. We have come a long way in monitoring heart health.
In the late 19th century, things were much more invasive; scientists examining a patient’s cardiac activity punctured heart muscles with wires. The first non-invasive electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) machine did not come along until much later.
It works by having electrodes on small patches stuck on the skin at points on the chest, arms, and legs. They are connected by wires to a machine that measures, interprets and prints out a graph of the heart’s electrical activity.
In the early 20th century, these machines were huge and could weigh over 250kg (550lbs). Today, portable ECG units can weigh under 2kg. Or you can check that smartwatch.
Cardiology as a medical speciality is quite new. Lots of doctors have nudged it along. In the 17th century, William Harvey described the heart and circulation; in 1816, French doctor and musician René Laennec invented the stethoscope.
John Hunter, an English doctor in the 18th century, is thought to be the first doctor in Western medicine to clinically describe chest pain and sudden death.
