Part-funded by the British Heart Foundation and Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, the study has revealed that using the AliveCor KardiaMobile ECG smartphone is a cheaper and more effective way to detect heartbeat problems.

If rolled-out in A&E departments, the device has the potential to significantly cut the cost of diagnosis by reducing the number and frequency of people visiting A&E.

At present, roughly 300,000 people visit A&E suffering heart palpitations (irregularity of the heart rhythm), which if serious, can be a forerunner of a heart attack or another underlying issue such as Atrial fibrillation, which can cause a stroke.

The device has already been trialled at 15 A&E’s across the UK, where it did cut the cost of diagnosis. 240 people who visited suffering symptoms of palpitations were used in the study.

On the basis of these results, which were published in EClinical Medicine, the researchers are calling for the technology to be rolled out at A&E departments.

The technology works by recording the patient’s heartbeat remotely when they are experiencing issues with their heart. A doctor can then access and assess these results. Normally, to diagnose this condition it requires an ECG at the hospital and possible blood work.

124 patients were given the device and told to activate it when experiencing symptoms, while 116 received the standard tests, and told to visit either their GP or nearest A&E department if they experienced more symptoms.

According to the study, after 90 days the device had helped doctors diagnose 56% of patients, at an average of 9.5 days.

Of the other group given standard testing, only 10% were diagnosed in an average period of 43 days. The researchers say that the results also demonstrated the device significantly cut the cost of diagnosis from £1,395 to £474.

Dr Matthew Reed, lead author of the study, from Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, said: “We’ve shown that this device is an easy, cheap way to diagnose heart rhythm problems which usually see people attending emergency departments several times before they’re diagnosed.

“For those with harmless palpitations this device can quickly give reassurance, whilst for those with serious underlying heart conditions, it can act as a lifesaver.

“We are now calling for this technology to be rolled out in emergency departments across the country.”