Indian digital health startup MFine has rolled out a new heart monitoring feature on its mobile app.

As with its blood oxygen saturation app MFine Pulse, this heart rate tool makes use of a smartphone camera and flash to detect blood volume changes. A machine-learning algorithm then calculates the levels of absorption of red, blue, and green light signals as seen through a user's fingertip to come up with a reading.

The feature, which has scored a medical accuracy of 90%, is currently available in beta form for Android users and will soon come to iOS devices. 

WHY IT MATTERS

Heart diseases are the leading cause of death in India, accounting for about a quarter of deaths. Ischemic heart disease and stroke are the predominant causes, amounting to 80% of cases. It was estimated that for every 100,000 Indians, about 272 people die from heart diseases, which is higher than the global average of 235.  

MFine continues to expand from powering teleconsultations to turning smartphones into diagnostic and health monitoring tools. 

"By enabling vitals monitoring through smartphones, MFine is making assessments universal and free to access for millions of people in India who otherwise would have found this hard to do," CTO Ajit Narayanan said.

The startup is also looking to release glucose monitoring and blood pressure measurement tools on its app by yearend.

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Researchers from the Amrita University in India recently unveiled their wearable technology for health monitoring. The Amrita Spandanam also uses AI to measure six body parameters: blood glucose, blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen, respiratory rate, and 6-lead ECG.

In Australia, medtech company Artrya is set to publicly roll out its latest AI tool for diagnosing coronary heart disease. Salix can detect and assess atherosclerotic plaque in a patient's arteries as seen in their CT scans. 

Beyond Asia, the latest innovation in health monitoring is a contactless vital signs monitoring tool developed by Binah.ai in Israel. The video-based AI app measures multiple vital parameters, such as blood pressure, oxygen saturation, respiration, and even sympathetic stress.