LITHUANIA — Researchers at Kaunas University of Technology and Teltonika Telemedic have developed the TeltoHeart medical wristband, a device designed for continuous heart rhythm monitoring. The system transmits data remotely to medical professionals and includes advanced arrhythmia detection capabilities aimed at post-stroke patients.

"The system was first developed with patients in mind for whom undetected heart rhythm disorders can have particularly serious consequences," said Vaidotas Marozas, Professor and Director of the Biomedical Engineering Institute at Kaunas University of Technology. The development team focused on post-stroke patients because atrial fibrillation in this group is often short-lived and asymptomatic. The technology alerts the patient via an on-screen notification or vibration when a suspicious episode is detected.

The TeltoHeart medical wristband enables continuous monitoring without the need for adhesive electrodes or additional wires. Users can create a detailed ECG recording by touching integrated electrodes, a process that takes approximately one minute and shows the heart's electrical activity from multiple directions. A specialized signal processing algorithm assesses signal quality to filter out distortion from movement, changes in body position, or physical activity before sending data for detailed analysis.

"The system distinguishes dangerous arrhythmias from noise caused by everyday activity using a multi-stage signal analysis process," Marozas said. It also employs an arrhythmia aggregation parameter to show how episodes of rhythm disturbance are distributed over time. "For a doctor, this kind of information would provide significantly more value than the mere fact that an arrhythmia was detected," he said. This assessment makes it possible to monitor disease progression and assess a rising risk of complications at an earlier stage.

A patent has been granted for the system, covering the wrist-worn device, its arrhythmia analysis algorithms, arrhythmia aggregation, and other new assessment parameters. "The patent obtained is an important recognition of many years of interdisciplinary work and technological novelty," Marozas said. The TeltoHeart device allows patients to consult a doctor without traveling to a healthcare facility for tests. The solution is implementable in most healthcare institutions across Lithuania.

Why It Matters

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, claiming almost 20 million lives annually, according to the World Health Organization. Heart rhythm disorders, particularly atrial fibrillation, are directly linked to an increased risk of ischaemic stroke. Standard examination methods, such as a traditional electrocardiogram or Holter monitoring, may miss short-lived and asymptomatic episodes of atrial fibrillation. If an arrhythmia goes undetected, the patient may not receive appropriate treatment, which increases the likelihood of a recurrent stroke.

The development of the TeltoHeart device addresses this issue by providing continuous monitoring and remote data transmission. Telemedicine services are available in some outpatient clinics in Lithuania through projects funded by the European Union. Broader reimbursement of remote monitoring solutions for at-risk patients remains a future objective.