Scientists create earbuds that can detect an irregular heartbeat – and believe they could replace ECGs in just TWO years

Fashionable earbuds can be used to detect an irregular heartbeat, by monitoring the electrical activity of the heart.

Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a device worn in the ear, slightly larger than an earplug, that can measure an ECG all day long.

A new study has found that it performs about as well as a conventional ECG using electrodes on the chest on two out of three measurements.

But although the earbud detects a weaker signal from the heart than a chest ECG because it is further away on the body, it has the advantage of being easy to wear for hours.

This could help people discover much faster whether they have a heart rhythm disorder, without visiting a doctor.

Heart rhythm disorders, which affect around two million people in Britain and include an irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation, can increase the risk of dangerous health problems such as stroke or cardiac arrest if left untreated.

The academic inventors of the earbuds, who have dubbed them 'Hearables', hope they could be available for people to buy within two years, although the devices currently cost around £400.

Researchers tested the earbuds on 10 people and compared them to a conventional ECG in which two electrodes were worn on the chest.

The earbuds displayed a reading that showed waves with peaks and troughs that were similar in shape and distance apart to the conventional ECG.

This is important when picking up a fast or slow heart rate.

However, the height and depth of the waves were not comparable to those of a chest ECG, which could make the measurement less accurate.

This is important because people with atrial fibrillation, for example, produce a number of small waves at the start of a measurement, rather than a larger single wave that needs to be detected.

However, researchers are working to make the device more sensitive and say their earbuds could also be used to monitor the brain and detect sleep and stress levels.

Professor Danilo Mandic, senior author of the study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, said: 'This is a groundbreaking way to take an ECG from the ear canal, to detect early signs of chronic heart problems.

'Rather than people having to feel sick and go to their doctor before an irregular heartbeat can be detected, we want them to be able to continuously monitor their heart and see any changes in real time.

'Earplugs are easy to insert and are very discreet and normal, unlike electrodes worn on the scalp or neck.

'Our earbuds were granted a US patent in April and we hope that these devices will be available for purchase in the near future, and perhaps even available on the NHS.'

The earbuds, which can be bought in stores or molded to the shape of a person's ear with silicone, could be used for more everyday purposes in the future, such as listening to music.

But they are linked to an algorithm that interprets the ECG values ​​and can alert people if they need to see a doctor.

For people who already have a fast or slow heart rate or a heart rhythm disorder, the earbuds can help track how well the condition is being controlled by medication.

The earbuds monitor the electrical activity of the heart using embedded electrodes, with the measurement made more accurate by the dilation and constriction of small blood vessels in the ear canal as the heart pumps.

Researchers also tested them on five people who had to pretend to drive a car in a virtual reality game. They found that the measurements were still accurate when people moved their heads and bodies and clenched their jaws in a way that would change the position of the earbuds.

Compared to an electrode in the neck, the ear-worn sensors did not perform as well, but the researchers say they are more discreet to wear, and machine learning algorithms are being developed to improve the accuracy of the measurement.

The research has been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.