Study shows investing in engaging healthcare teams is essential for improving patient experience
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 2-Jan-2026 10:11 ET (2-Jan-2026 15:11 GMT/UTC)
A new heart monitoring system combining 3D printing and artificial intelligence could transform the way doctors measure and diagnose patients' heart health.
Developed at SFU’s School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, the system features reusable dry 3D-printed electrodes embedded in a soft chest belt – the folding origami-shaped design uses gentle suction to stick to the skin.
Carbon-based ink printed on the suction cup replaces electrolyte gel, conducting the heart’s electrical signals through to a wearable device with built-in AI software to pre-diagnose of up to 10 types of arrhythmias, or irregular heart rhythms.
An analysis of data from almost two dozen long-term studies finds that even low-intensity smokers have a substantially higher risk of heart disease and death compared to people who never smoked, even years after they quit. Michael Blaha of the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, USA, and colleagues report these findings November 18th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.