Czech science and medicine are celebrating a significant achievement. After successful testing, the new ultra-high-frequency ECG (UHF-ECG) technology has obtained European CE certification and is now available for use in Czech and European hospitals. Thanks to this technology, doctors will be able to see details of heart activity that were previously undetectable, enabling them to better tailor treatment for patients with disorders of the heart's electrical conduction system. This innovation, which is protected by patents and has also received international recognition, was developed in Brno at the Institute of Scientific Instruments, The Czech Academy of Sciences in collaboration with cardiology departments at the Královské Vinohrady University Hospital, St. Anne's University Hospital in Brno, and the Third Faculty of Medicine of Charles University, with financial support from GAČR, AZV, TAČR, the Operational Program Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness, and the CarDia Project (National Institute for Research on Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases).
Cardiovascular diseases are the cause of up to 45 % of deaths in Europe. Over the last decade, the number of patients dying from heart failure has doubled. Approximately 400,000 people are currently being treated for heart failure, and this number is expected to increase by another 200,000 over the next 10 years.

„A standard 12-lead ECG is one of the basic examination methods used in the diagnosis of heart failure and, alongside cardiac ultrasound, helps to determine the cause of structural or functional heart disorders. Any further improvement in diagnostics and information about the details of cardiac activity can help to select the right treatment and improve patient outcomes. This is what the new ECG technology brings, allowing us to obtain accurate information about the electrical activation of the heart that cannot be identified on a conventional ECG,“ says professor Petr Toušek, MD, PhD., head of the Cardiology Clinic at FNKV and 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, which participated in research projects using ultra-high-frequency ECG. „The new ultra-high-frequency ECG technology allows us to visualize the electrical activity of the heart with unprecedented resolution. We can better assess whether both heart chambers are working simultaneously and choose the optimal treatment. This leads to higher treatment success rates and a better prognosis for patients with heart failure,“ says Doc. MUDr. Karol Čurila from the Cardiocenter of the Královské Vinohrady University Hospital and the Third Faculty of Medicine at Charles University, a researcher at the CarDia National Institute.

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