@Toyota: Toyota Tsusho Corporation Launches “LOTUS HEART,” a Compact Electrocardiograph with Telecommunication Capabilities ~Helping Prolong Healthy Life Expectancy through the Early Detection of Atrial Fibrillation, a Cause of Stroke~

Toyota Tsusho Corporation (“Toyota Tsusho”) announced today that it has developed “LOTUS HEART,” a compact electrocardiograph capable of long-term measurement as well as “LOTUS HEART Cloud,” a system that sends data acquired from LOTUS HEART to an analysis center via a smartphone app and the cloud service. LOTUS HEART is the first compact electrocardiograph in Japan with a telecommunications capability that allows data analysis remotely.

Starting in July, Toyota Tsusho will begin providing full-scale LOTUS HEART services. Additionally, in collaboration with Fujita Health University Hospital (Toyoake, Aichi) and the Nagoya Midori-ku Medical Association (Nagoya, Aichi), Toyota Tsusho will launch a community healthcare project in Midori-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, to identify patients with suspected atrial fibrillation^*1, which can cause stroke, at an early stage.

*1 A type of arrhythmia in which the atria twitch and contract rapidly, causing the pulse to become irregular.

It is said that one-third of strokes are cardiogenic strokes caused mainly by atrial fibrillation, and patients with atrial fibrillation are five times more likely to suffer from a stroke than people without it^*. On the other hand, many cases of atrial fibrillation have no noticeable symptoms, and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, whose symptoms subside quickly, is difficult to detect early using standard tests alone. While long-term electrocardiogram monitoring is effective for the early detection of atrial fibrillation, current portable electrocardiographs have issues such as short measurement durations, difficulty and discomfort with wearing them, and the time required to exchange analysis data.

*2 Wolf PA, et al. Stroke 1991; 22: 983-988

LOTUS HEART is a small patch-type electrocardiograph with a telecommunication capability developed by Toyota Tsusho, which can measure electrocardiograms continuously for long periods of time, up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It also features easy attachment, as it is attached directly to the body with electrode stickers, so there are no cords or other accessories, and it can be removed when taking a bath.

As the measured electrocardiogram is automatically sent to the analysis center via the smartphone app and the cloud service “LOTUS HEART Cloud,” medical institutions do not need to send the device to the analysis center, and by obtaining the analysis report on the web, it enables efficient operation such as speedy diagnosis and various analyses using the data.

Starting in July, Toyota Tsusho will begin a community healthcare project in Midori-ku, Nagoya, in collaboration with the Department of Comprehensive Strokology and the Department of Cardiology[DW1] at Fujita Health University Hospital, as well as the Nagoya Midori-ku Medical Association, to prevent stroke through the early detection of atrial fibrillation.

The aim of this project is to enable local medical institutions, which serve as family doctors, to use LOTUS HEART to identify potential patients with atrial fibrillation at an early stage, and lead them to appropriate treatment. The data obtained will be analyzed at Fujita Health University Hospital, and will be used to verify the effectiveness of the project and to develop prevention measures in the future.

Going forward, Toyota Tsusho will expand these community healthcare initiatives to medical institutions nationwide through the deployment of LOTUS HEART, with the aim of contributing to the early detection of atrial fibrillation and the prevention of new cases of stroke in Japan.

By providing LOTUS HEART, Toyota Tsusho will help extend healthy life expectancy and promote its Economy of Life business, which aims to support people’s lives.

General name	Data recorder for long-term electrocardiography	Operating power supply	DC3V (Lithium battery CR3450 x1)
Record lead	Bipolar lead type 1 ch	Electrodes used	General-purpose offset electrodes x2
Measurement interval	250sps	Continuous measurement duration	Up to 7 days
Measurement resolution	15bit	Measuring capacity	24 hours x 7 days measurement data capacity
Measurement frequency band	0.04～40Hz	Weight	Approximately 19 g
External dimensions	63(w)x33(D)x14.5(H)mm	Manufacturer/distributor	HAMADA CORPORATION