Digital Cardiology: Opportunities for Disease Prevention

Purpose of Review: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the world’s leading cause of mortality, responsible for 18 million deaths each year. Disease prevention is a critical component to curb the morbidity and mortality due to CVD worldwide, and advances in digital health technologies may facilitate adherence to and effectiveness of preventive measures. In this review, we seek to identify and describe recent developments in the use of digital health for CVD prevention between 2015 and 2019. Recent Findings: Promising digital health technologies have emerged in the field of cardiology. In the diagnostics arena, AliveCor has shown to obtain real-time electrocardiograms via smartphones, whereas the Apple Watch proved efficacious to detect atrial fibrillation. In the treatment arena, the Corrie Health Digital Platform may enable myocardial infarction patients to benefit from remote cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention. Emerging technologies such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and machine learning suggest further potential for the growth and clinical relevance of digital cardiology. Summary: Digital health technologies have become increasingly popular in the repertoire to prevent CVD. Although caution is warranted given the concurrent surge of unregulated smartphone applications and other technologies, digital cardiology presents important potential to reduce the global burden of CVD.