Zio Patch, high-tech heart device

DAILY DOT COM - According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.  But when it comes to a diagnosis, heart problems can be tricky to catch.

A new breakthrough technology designed to improve diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias hopes to change that.  It's called Zio Patch .

The Zio Patch looks like a band-aide, on the surface.  The two-by-five inch patch can wirelessly record beats for about two weeks at a time –giving physicians the ability to check on the heart rhythm over a longer period of time. 

By providing a longer time period of recording the Zio Patch reportedly improves the likelihood of capturing arrhythmias and provides for an equal or higher diagnostic yield versus other devices.

Dr. Higgins from Scripps Heath describes the Zio Patch, "as the Netflix version of heart care."

Doctors at Scripps Health recently studied 285 patients wearing the device.  They discovered that one of the patients had two rhythm problems one fast and one slow and were able to treat both within weeks.

There seems to be a lot of hope the high-tech monitor will make a difference.  In a search on Twitter.com, @SuzyCohen said the following: Could save you from a heart attack. This patch is an amazing breakthrough if you have irregular heartbeat.

The Zio Patch was developed by a San Francisco company called, iRhythm Technologies.  When patients are finished with the device, they simply send it back to their physician to be recycled.

Keep in mind, the Alabama Gulf Coast Heart Walk will be kicking off again this September.  The walk helps raises money for continued research.  Stay tuned to Fox10News for updates on how to get involved with our team.