Doctors may be able to monitor a patient's heartbeat from a distance using a sensor being developed at the University of Sussex.

The project has gone through five development cycles in more than 12 years but the latest research by Professor Terry Clark and his team is in its early stages.

The device has already been used to monitor a clothed person's heartbeat from a metre away, without any electrical connections.

Potential applications include remote monitoring of burns victims who cannot be touched and checking people trapped as a result of car accidents.

The project has £1 million fund-ing from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Researchers have predicted the approach will lead to improvements in the measurement of electrical activity in the heart using electro-cardiograms (ECGs) and the brain, using electro-encephalograms (EEGs), as well as other parts of the body.

Existing ECGs record the rhythm and activity of the heart using small adhesive pads on the surface of the skin. The pads are connected to a machine that picks up and amplifies the electrical signals produced by each heartbeat and displays them on a screen or print-out.

The problem with ECGs is the skin contacts distort the electrical measurements because they drain the current slightly.

Prof Clark said: "As soon as you attach a copper wire to someone, it heads straight to earth. It's like shorting out a plug and you get a smaller and distorted signal."

Dr Robert Prance and Dr Christopher Harland and Prof Clark have set about developing a remote, non-contact alternative. The resulting sensor is a small disc about 1cm across.

Prof Clark said: "It's going to change everything about detecting the human body's electrical signals. The authorities are always prudent about embracing new technologies but this is going to attract converts because we now have the means to detect non-invasively any electrical signal, ranging from foetal heart signals through to EEGs of brain function."

A spokeswoman for the British Heart Foundation said: "The ECG test is a well-established, quick and simple way of recording the rhythm and electrical activity of the heart.

"Patients should be assured that doctors can gain accurate assessments of the heart's electrical activity using the established equipment."

But Prof Clark said: "The technology associated with the measurement of body electrical signals is almost a century old, so it is not unreasonable to look for the possibility of greatly-enhanced performance."

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