Novel Wireless Devices for Cardiac Monitoring

The digital revolution and the rapid development of smartphones, mobile connectivity, and social networking have changed the way we live. The average American is constantly connected via high bandwidth to a vast network of data and sophisticated digital platforms, with >90% of American adults owning a cell phone and 55% having a smartphone.1 The digital revolution has transformed virtually every industry and every facet of our personal lives but has been conspicuously absent from the world of medicine. Physicians and healthcare networks have been slow to adopt electronic medical records and to integrate medical data with the ubiquitous mobile device. Recently, however, novel devices for wireless monitoring have emerged and begun to be integrated with the care of the cardiac patient. We believe that the evolution of these wireless cardiac monitoring devices will mark a new era in medicine and a transition from population-level health care to individualized medicine in which suitable patients are equipped with advanced biosensors that, in turn, have their data processed through sophisticated algorithms to predict events before they occur. This review is meant to be a comprehensive overview of the novel wireless cardiac monitoring devices that are available, as well as the technologies that are currently under development and poised to revolutionize the way we practice cardiology. A comprehensive list of a number of devices that are currently available or under development is given in the Table for reference.View this table:Table. Comprehensive Overview of Existing Wireless Cardiac Monitoring DevicesCardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation are common and can be associated with adverse outcomes such as embolic stroke. Less common but more malignant rhythm disorders such as ventricular tachycardia can herald sudden cardiac death.2 The identification and management of arrhythmias in the patient with palpitations, syncope, a history of arrhythmia, or high risk for sudden …