Heart failure tech device in the making

A SIGNIFICANT breakthrough has been made in the early detection of heart failure.

A light-sensing device has been developed by the Tyndall National Institute in Co Cork.

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in Ireland.

The device uses nano-scale silicon photonic microchips and laser technology to rapidly characterise blood flow.

Professor Peter O’brien said: “Our ability to design, integrate and develop research prototypes using ultra-precision assembly and packaging puts us in a unique position.”