Our smartphones are amazing devices and with the cameras on them constantly improving, it seems that it has gotten to the point where researchers are able to use them for medical purposes. Thanks to their efforts, it seems that in the future it is possible that a simple smartphone app could be what makes heart surgery safer.During a heart procedure to remove blockage in the artery, doctors will need to know if the artery is healthy enough to snake a catheter through to remove the blockage. Right now the method used to test that out is dubbed the Allen test which blocks circulation in the hand until it turns white, before easing pressure on two main arteries to see if it turns pink again. This is used to determine a healthy artery.
However with the app, it uses a smartphone camera (in which in this instance the researchers used an iPhone 4) to monitor changes in color in the fingertips. Based on their comparison to the Allen test, it seems that the app was 92% more accurate, versus the Allen test which scored 82%.
According to senior study author Dr. Benjamin Hibbert, a researcher at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Canada, “Using a smartphone to monitor changes in color in the fingertips is much more accurate in detecting subtle changes as opposed to the doctors’ general opinion of the color of the hand.”
At the moment the app is still largely experimental and isn’t used in the field, but the fact that it can be so readily and easily accessed means that it can help make the decisions of doctors easier without the need to spend on expensive new equipment. More details about the study can be found here.