Researchers have shown that the camera on our smartphone can noninvasively provide detailed information about our heart's health. With this app, what used to require a 45-minute scan from an ultrasound machine can now be accomplished by simply holding our phone up to our neck for a minute or two, according to a study published in the Journal of Critical Care Medicine. The team developed a technique that can infer the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of the heart by measuring the amount that the carotid artery displaces the skin of the neck as blood pumps through it.
LVEF is most commonly measured using an ultrasound machine during a procedure known as echocardiography. Echocardiography, however, requires a trained technician, an expensive ultrasound machine, and up to 45 minutes of a patient's time. "What is exciting about this study is that it shows our technique is as…
