Innovative Smart T-Shirt Revolutionizes Heart Monitoring
Researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking ‘smart T-shirt’ equipped with up to 50 sensors that detects hidden inherited heart conditions, potentially benefiting hundreds of thousands at risk of sudden cardiac death.
Traditional monitoring relies on portable devices with sticky electrodes and leads connected to a waist-worn monitor, which patients must remove for showers. This new shirt simplifies the process, embedding sensors directly into comfortable sportswear-style fabric for continuous wear up to a week.
How the Smart T-Shirt Works
The T-shirt features 50 sensors stitched around the chest and heart area, mimicking an ECG to track electrical signals throughout daily activities. Patients wear it under regular clothes while sleeping, eating, exercising, or working. Data transmits wirelessly to a computer, where AI analyzes it in real-time and alerts doctors to potential issues.
The washable garment allows extended monitoring—far longer than the typical one- to two-day portable ECGs—improving detection rates for elusive arrhythmias.
Targeting Inherited Heart Conditions
This technology addresses rare inherited disorders affecting around 340,000 people in the UK. These conditions heighten risks of dangerous heart rhythms, claiming 12 young lives under 35 weekly. Symptoms like breathlessness or fainting during routine tasks often go undetected in short hospital tests.
Professor Zachary Whinnett of Cardiology at Imperial College London states: “Far too many people die from inherited heart conditions which could be treated if identified earlier. One challenge is irregular rhythms not appearing in routine 10-minute ECGs or 48-hour home monitoring. Our AI-assisted T-shirt offers a practical, comfortable solution for longer-term scanning.”
Dr. Keenan Saleh, Clinical Research Fellow at Imperial College London, adds that harnessing AI transforms doctors’ ability to spot these conditions, enhancing lives for those unknowingly affected.
Real-World Impact: Patient Stories
Teacher Carly Benge, 38, from Watford, collaborates on development. Diagnosed with Brugada syndrome—a potentially fatal rhythm disorder—her children, 10-year-old Jake and seven-year-old Imogen, face inherited risks. Early detection via the T-shirt could enable timely treatment, averting sudden cardiac death.
Upcoming Trials and Future Availability
A prototype launches in trials with 200 patients and volunteers at Hammersmith Hospital’s Peart-Rose Research Unit. Participants wear it continuously for up to three months to assess accuracy in identifying serious conditions.
Developed in partnership with the British Heart Foundation and Imperial College London, the technology targets adults first but shows promise for children and other rhythms like atrial fibrillation. Researchers anticipate clinical availability within five years.
Understanding Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS)
SADS, claiming around 500 UK lives annually, stems from ventricular arrhythmias. It strikes without warning, even in fit individuals, triggered by stress. Often genetic (e.g., ion channelopathies), it disrupts heart electrical function without structural changes, detectable only via live monitoring.
