Animesh Tandon from the Cleveland Clinic talks about new wearable tech that can help manage congenital heart disease. However, while wearables are improving, they’re not yet well-suited for kids or people with specific heart issues.
Tandon says, “We are now seeing medical-grade biosensors being made,” meaning these devices are becoming more advanced and useful (Cleveland Clinic, 2024). However, current wearables often miss the mark for children and those with congenital heart conditions. “There aren’t many technologies made specifically for children” (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).
A big advantage of wearables is they can track health data continuously, not just during hospital visits. But integrating this data into everyday care is tricky; “what’s going on the other 99.9% of the time?” (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).
Tandon also mentions ethical issues. For example, light-based sensors might not work well for people with darker skin, and some devices might not fit infants properly; “children and patients with congenital heart disease are underserved by technology” (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).
In the future, Tandon hopes more studies will show how useful these devices can be and encourages companies to make tech for kids. “This technology is here to stay. We just have to do the science to show that it’s useful for everyone” (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).
Cleveland Clinic. (2024, July 17). Fostering the future of wearable biosensors for congenital heart disease. https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/fostering-the-future-of-wearable-biosensors-for-congenital-heart-disease
