If the Guardian system proves to be effective in early detection and warning of potentially life-threatening heart conditions, it might help save lives. Also, when no warning signal is received, it could be reassuring to patients that their symptoms are not coming from their heart and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations and testing, said Dr. Allan Murphy, who’s leading the study at Riverside.

Most of the damage to the heart occurs during the first two hours after coronary occlusion, AngelMed’s Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Harwood said in a news release. We’ve designed the device to warn patients of this and other cardiac events hours — perhaps days — before they occur.