A new heart rate monitor device currently being developed under the MyHeart initiative could help heart failure patients keep a closer eye on their health, the BBC has reported.

According to the news source, an EU-funded project could develop a bed system which would include an electronic weight scale, a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor and sensors which will measure both body movement and breathing rate while the patient is sleeping.

Professor John Cleland, head of the cardiology department at the University of Hull, claimed that by helping patients monitor their own symptoms, demand on hospital emergency rooms could be reduced.

"Investing directly in people who need help and not just in services that do things to or for them makes sense in terms of improved care, greater affordability and the effective deployment of scarce nursing and medical resources," he told the BBC.

Earlier this month, personal trainer David Calder, a former British freestyle skier, told the Herald newspaper that a heart rate monitor may also be beneficial for Brits training for ski holidays to make sure they do not overexert themselves.

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