Your face can reveal your heart condition, reveals study

A new study has revealed a new technology developed for detecting atrial fibrillation, a treatable but potentially dangerous heart condition, by observing a person's face with the help of a web camera and software algorithms on Saturday published in the journal Heart Rythm.

Researcher Jean-Philippe Couderc from University of Rochester said that the technology held the potential to identify and diagnose cardiac disease using contact less video monitoring, which could enable more people with atrial fibrillation to get the care they needed.

The research demonstrated that subtle changes in skin colour could be used to detect the uneven blood flow caused by atrial fibrillation, which was an irregular or sometimes rapid heart rate that commonly causes poor blood flow to the body.

The technology described in the study employed a software algorithm developed by Xerox, which scans the face and can detect changes in skin color that are imperceptible to the naked eye, and sensors in digital cameras, which are designed to record 3 colors: red, green, and blue.

The study found that the video monitoring technique, which researchers have dubbed "videoplethymography," had a   20% error rate, comparable to the 17 to 29% error rate associated with automated ECG measurements.