Non-invasive ambulant cardiac monitoring is on the rise (1). There is now a dizzying (pardon the metaphor!) array of products that allow patients to monitor their heart rate and electrocardiogram (ECG), often without needing to consult a clinician. Many patients (or should we call them ‘consumers’?), opt to do so, even in the absence of symptoms or cardiovascular abnormality. Few of the newer wearable technologies are currently funded on the NHS, but patients bring their self- funded gadgets’ data to our clinics. As cardiologists we need to know: what are the different products capable of? How can we use these newer devices and their data in our practice? And what are the future challenges we face in this new world of patient-initiated cardiac monitoring?
