‘Smart T-shirt’ could diagnose hidden heart conditions affecting 340,000 Brits

Heart conditions could be diagnosed by a T-shirt that monitors wearers’ vital signs within five years, according to researchers behind a £340,000 project. Rare, inherited heart problems are currently diagnosed using a portable ECG worn for 24 to 48 hours, with electrodes connected to a waist-worn monitor. Experts say the smart garments — which will have up to 50 sensors stitched into the fabric — will be much easier to use and could be worn for up to a week.

A team at Imperial College London has been awarded funding from the British Heart Foundation to trial the tech in a study of 200 patients and volunteers. Project leader Professor Zachary Whinnett, a consultant cardiologist at Imperial College  NHS Trust, said: “Far too many people die from inherited heart conditions which could be treated if they were identified earlier.

“One of the challenges of diagnosis today is that irregular heart rhythms may not always occur during routine 10-minute hospital ECGs or even 48-hour ECG monitoring at home.

“We hope our AI-assisted T-shirt will provide a practical and comfortable solution, allowing us to carry out longer-term scanning that could improve diagnosis.”

The T-shirt will be designed from comfortable sportswear-style material to be worn under clothes during daily activities.

It will feed data into an artificial intelligence programme trained on data from more than 1,000 people to spot abnormal ECG patterns.

Researchers are working with patient Carly Benge, 38, who lives with a dangerous heart rhythm disorder called Brugada syndrome.

The teacher, of Watford, Herts, was only diagnosed after her sister Jodie was found to have the condition in 2018, following dizziness and palpitations while pregnant.

Carly had experienced no symptoms. She said: “Mum just burst into tears when she found out both of her daughters had this life-threatening condition. She isn’t a crier, so it really hit me hard hearing her so upset.

“I was reassured when they told me I was at low risk of a serious medical episode, but now my concern is more for my children, and Jodie’s children, because there’s a chance of them having it too.”

Around 340,000 people in the UK have an inherited heart condition which could put them at risk of dying from a dangerous heart rhythm. They are estimated to claim the lives of 12 young people under 35 in the UK each week.

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Carly hopes the technology could help at-risk youngsters, like her children, Imogen, seven, and Jake, 10, who could be tested earlier and start treatment sooner if a condition is identified.

She added: “You can wear this T-shirt for weeks and even put it through the wash, and then put it back on again, so it’s a lot more practical than a portable ECG. 

“I got involved in this research because I want my children to have more of a chance to be diagnosed early, if they do have Brugada syndrome.

“If we can catch Brugada sooner and prevent sudden death, it could make me, and other parents, feel far more reassured that our children are safe.” 

The researchers hope the technology could be rolled out in around five years.

Professor James Leiper, director of research at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Too many people have been snatched away from their loved ones in an instant by inherited heart conditions.

“This innovative research will leverage the power of AI to help clinicians unmask these hidden conditions and identify patients at risk of sudden death. 

“The British Heart Foundation is dedicated to funding groundbreaking research like Professor Whinnett’s, to help diagnose, treat and prevent sudden cardiac death, but there is still more to do.

“We urgently need donations to help us fund more lifesaving research to stop families losing a loved one.”