GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.
With that in mind, there’s new technology that can help detect cardiac issues you may not even know you have.
The Carnation Ambulatory Monitor or CAM patch by Bardy Diagnostics was created by Dr. Bardy, who lost his wife to cardiac arrest and wanted to create something that could catch low frequency atrial arrhythmias that was easy for women to wear.
It’s been on the market for about three years or so, but it’s new to Michigan.
“It's a disposable lightweight patch heart monitor. And patients can wear this up to 14 days, depending on the doctor's prescription,” says Anna Midlam, account executive at Bardy Diagnostics.
For up to 14 days it will record the patient's heart and if symptoms occur they simply push a button to mark that experience and will hopefully catch what they’ve been feeling.
The CAM patch records the P wave of the heart, known as the most difficult signal to accurately record.
“It gives the doctor a really beautiful view into the heart, especially the atria, which is very hard to see on a lot of monitors,” says Midlam.
After the patient is done wearing the device the information is sent to the technicians and a report will be produced for the doctor.
If you’d like to try the device, talk to your doctor about a prescription.
