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Applications of Smart Textiles for Ambulatory Electrocardiogram Monitoring: A Scoping Review of the Literature
ABSTRACT
Background:
Smart textiles offer a promising approach to continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, but their real-world clinical application lags behind basic feasibility studies. This review comprehensively examines the characteristics and performance of current textile-based ECG devices, synthesizing existing evidence and identifying key challenges. While textile-based ECG electrodes demonstrate good signal quality and comfort, particularly in static conditions, integrating this technology into clinical practice requires addressing critical issues: clinical validation, data privacy and security, cost-effectiveness, user-friendliness, and data interoperability. Successful integration necessitates a collaborative effort encompassing comprehensive evaluation frameworks, regulatory policies, and robust clinical trials.
Objective:
This review aims to map the scientific literature on textile-based ECG monitoring systems integrated into clothing and garments. We will comprehensively synthesize evidence from relevant English-language studies with respect to 3 key areas of research in smart textile-based ECG monitoring, namely, comparative signal quality, static and dynamic performance, and user experience. Subsequently, this review will outline current challenges to clinical adoption, integration, and future research directions.
Methods:
A Scoping Review of the Literature
Results:
While textile-based ECG electrodes demonstrate good signal quality and comfort, particularly in static conditions, integrating this technology into clinical practice requires addressing critical issues: clinical validation, data privacy and security, cost-effectiveness, user-friendliness, and data interoperability. Successful integration necessitates a collaborative effort encompassing comprehensive evaluation frameworks, regulatory policies, and robust clinical trials.
Conclusions:
Smart textiles offer the potential for valuable long-term trends in ECG parameters, improving the detection of transient events and reducing intervention times. However, widespread support and adoption within clinical workflows depend on addressing the identified limitations, incorporating user feedback, and demonstrating the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of this technology. Only with reliable and meaningful data can textile-based ECG monitoring serve as a valuable diagnostic tool to guide care and improve treatment decisions. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.