If you are an individual with heart disease or are at a high risk for heart attack the AngelMed Gaurdian may one day save your life. The Week is reporting the new device will be featured in an upcoming issue of Ergonomic in Design, and may be on the market in the next few years.

The new device acts as an early warning mechanism for people who are having heart difficulties or are in immediate danger of having a heart attack.

It works like this: The device is surgically implanted under the skin like a pacemaker. When a person wearing the device is in danger of having an attack, AngelMed Gaurdian alerts them with vibrations, audible tones and warning lights via a reciever they carry with them. Two alert levels warn a patient of what’s going on. A low level warning is a sign that there may be something wrong, and they should see a doctor in the next 48 hours. A high level alarm tells the patient and those around that he is having a heart attack and should seek immediate medical attention.

“A vibrotactile alarm provided by the implanted device has two major advantages. First, the implanted device cannot be left behind like a portable device,” researcher Mary Carol Day said in a statement. “Second, its alarm is more likely to be felt than an auditory alarm is to be heard even by the patient wearing heavy clothing, or is in a noisy environment.”

Heart disease kills more than 2,200 people every day. This high rate is due in large part to the fact that most people do not realize they are having one until it is too late. This is designed to change that.

Although it may be a while before it is available. The device is still in the clinical testing phase, and no timeline has been given for FDA approval.

“If the device is approved for sale by the FDA, it might be extended in ways that will change the way the patient interacts with the system as a whole,” said Day