Apple Watch can detect a heart problem but more research is needed

A large study suggests that the Apple Watch can at least sometimes detect disturbing irregular heartbeats, but experts say that there is still much to be done to determine whether the use of wearable technology for Screening for heart problems actually helps.

More than 419,000 Apple Watch users have endorsed this unusual study, making it the largest screening exploration for atrial fibrillation in apparently healthy people, a condition that, if it is not not treated, can possibly cause stroke.

Researchers at Stanford University reported Saturday that the watch was not scary for crowds, warning barely half a percent of participants – about 2,100 – that they might have a problem.

But even among the people reported, "it's not perfect," warned Dr. Richard Kovacs of the American College of Cardiology, who did not participate in the study.

Those who received an alert were expected to consult a study physician via telemedicine and then wear an ECG patch measuring cardiac activity for the following week to determine the accuracy of the watch.

Some skipped the virtual checkup to see their own doctors; Overall, about 57% of patients consulted a doctor.

Among those who benefited from ECG monitoring as part of the study, a third was suffering from atrial fibrillation, according to preliminary results presented at a conference of the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans.

A-fib tends to come and go, and a week of surveillance may have missed some cases, said Stanford Principal Investigator Dr. Mintu Turakhia.

But if the watch detected another irregular heartbeat while someone was wearing the EKG patch, it was a serious problem in 84% of the cases, did it? declared.

"This study, in our opinion, provides very encouraging evidence that a device, the Apple Watch, can be used to detect the a-fib and signal to users when additional surveillance or testing is needed," said Dr. Lloyd Minor, Dean of Stanford. drug.

According to other experts in cardiology, the study, funded by Apple, suggests that screening with a wearable technology may be technically possible over time, but requires much more research.

"I would not advise this to the entire population," said Dr. Valentin Fuster, director of Mount Sinai Heart in New York and former president of the American Heart Association, who said not participated in the study. Instead, he would like to see it tested in older people with risk factors such as hypertension.

WHAT IS AERIAL FIBRILLATION?

A-fib occurs when the upper chambers of the heart, called atria, are no longer synchronized with the pumping action of the lower cavities. Sometimes patients feel a heartbeat or a racing heart, but they are often unaware of an episode.

Sometimes the heart resumes its rhythm. Other patients experience electrical shock to resume their rhythm or are prescribed anticoagulants to counter the blood clots responsible for a stroke that an untreated a-fib can cause.

A-fib causes 130,000 deaths and 750,000 hospitalizations annually in the United States.

HOW DO PHYSICIANS CHECK IT?

A-fib is more common in the elderly and other risks include high blood pressure or a family history of arrhythmia. But routine screening is not recommended for people without symptoms.

Studies have not yet shown that early detection through screening would prevent enough stroke to offset the risks of unnecessary testing or over-treatment.

HOW DOES THE APPLE WATCH COMPLETE?

A mobile application uses the optical sensor of certain versions of the watch to analyze pulse data. If it detects sufficient variation of a beat over a period of 48 hours, the user is warned of an irregular heartbeat.

The latest version of the Apple Watch also allows users to press a button to take an electrocardiogram and share the reading with the doctors.

Saturday's study did not include watches with this capability.

IS THE NEW STUDY SHOWING MASS SCREENING A GOOD IDEA?

The study aimed to show how the watch was compared to a week of standard ECG monitoring – not whether the health of its wearer had improved because the screening revealed an arrhythmia.

To prove that detecting a-fib early on decreases the risk of stroke would require years of study.

And since the study did not have a comparison group receiving routine ECGs, there is no way of knowing if the watch has missed heartbeat problems, giving a false sense of security, Kovacs said.

The alarming number of alarms may be due to the fact that most of the participants were young or middle-aged, not the elderly who are at greatest risk, he said.