Study inspects Apple watch’s ability to detect heart rate irregularities
Apple Watch, launched in November 2017 by Apple, with approximately 5,00,000 participants, was the focus of a study questioning whether a mobile application that makes use of data from a heart-rate pulse sensor on the Apple Watch can detect atrial fibrillation. A new study conducted by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine has offered initial results of the Apple Heart Study. As per the study authors, the wearable tech can detect heart rate irregularities, which on subsequent testing were found to be atrial fibrillation, which causes heart strokes.
According to the latest research, the key findings of the study show that approximately 0.6 percent of participants received notifications about their irregular pulse, which researchers consider significant, “given concerns about potential over-notification.” The study participants needed an Apple Watch of series 1, 2, or 3, and an iPhone. More recent wearables sporting an in-built ECG was not built-in as they were released after the research was launched. Besides, the study showed that comparisons among irregular pulse-detection on Apple Watch and concurrently electrocardiography patch recordings showed the pulse detection algorithm is 73 percent. The study further found that around 85 percent of the participants who get irregular pulse notifications were suffering from atrial fibrillation at that time. On the other hand, approximately 35 percent of those who received irregular pulse notifications, followed by an ECG patch a week later, were found to have atrial fibrillation. Researchers say this is due to the irregular heartbeat that is an irregular condition; it is not shocking that it went unnoticed in ECG. Finally, around 58 percent of those receiving irregular pulse notification sought for medical support, the report further stated.
Speaking about the same, the research cited Lloyd Minor, MD, Dean, Stanford School of Medicine, saying that the results emphasize the role that digital technology plays in health care. “Atrial fibrillation is just the beginning, as this study opens the door to further research into wearable technologies and how they might be used to prevent disease before it strikes — a key goal of precision health,” added Minor.
