Heartbeat electro-language: Exploring piezoelectric technologies for cardiovascular health monitoring

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, underscoring the urgent need for advanced technologies capable of continuous, noninvasive, and intelligent monitoring. Piezoelectric sensors, owing to their inherent electromechanical transduction, high sensitivity, and self-powered operation, offer a compelling pathway for next-generation cardiovascular health monitoring. In this review, we summarize recent advances in piezoelectric materials, from zero- to three-dimensional architectures, and their integration into wearable and implantable platforms. Key applications include the assessment of arterial health via pulse wave velocity and vascular stiffness, cuffless blood pressure estimation, and the monitoring of cardiopulmonary functions such as heart rate, respiratory rhythm, and cardiac acoustics. We also highlight emerging strategies such as passive wireless communication enabled by surface acoustic wave principles, and the development of multimodal systems that concurrently capture mechanical, optical, and chemical signals. The convergence of piezoelectric technologies with artificial intelligence and Internet of Things frameworks enables real-time signal processing, remote access, and personalized medical interventions. Finally, we discuss current challenges in material biocompatibility, encapsulation, signal fidelity, and clinical translation, and outline future directions for advancing high-performance piezoelectric systems for intelligent cardiovascular diagnostics and connected healthcare.