Heart monitor a first for Middlemore

A new device to monitor heart arrhythmia is being trialled for the first time in New Zealand.

Middlemore Hospital is hosting a clinical trial of a new Samsung-developed device called the S-Patch which will help assess people’s arrhythmia.

An arrhythmia is an extra or skipped heartbeat which interrupts the normal rhythm of the heart.

Counties Manukau Health uses Holter monitors, portable devices which record electrical heart activity continuously over 24 to 48 hours, to assist with arrhythmia management. It has a limited number of Holter monitors for testing, which results in a waiting list of more than 200 patients.

The DHB has partnered with Samsung and is trialling the S-Patches on patients on the waiting list, giving them an S-Patch and Holter monitor for 24 hours.

‘‘This is exciting and brand new and it shows how health technology is moving ahead,’’ Middlemore Clinical Trials director of client services Nicole Signal says.

The S-Patch has a built in bioprocessor capable of measuring ECG skin temperature, GSR, and body fat. It attaches to the chest through two electrode stickers, compared to the five electrode stickers attached through the Holter monitor.

Data is then collected through the Bio Processor chip which is transmitted to a mobile phone and accessible through desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.

For Glenda Marshall, a patient on the trial, the new device is a lighter alternative to the bulky Holter monitor. The Weymouth resident has had heart palpitations for the past seven years and she has had a Holter monitor assessment in the past.

‘‘It’s really good to be part of something and see whether or not this helps,’’ Marshall says.

‘‘I like this a lot, it’s smaller and a lot easier . . . [with] the two wires [which] are inconspicuous and lighter rather than the big monitor.’’

There are 85 patients part of the trial, which will run until May, with Samsung’s healthcare business experts from South Korea in New Zealand to help run it.

Nicole Signal says Counties Manukau Health will use the trial to evaluate the efficiency of the S-Patch with the intention of adopting it as a standard of care if it goes well.