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 Researchers hope the technology can assist in early detection of
atrial fibrillation, the most common form of irregular heart beat.
Patients with untreated AF are five times more likely to have a
stroke.
Results of the largest AF screening and detection study, involving
over 400,000 Apple Watch users who were invited to participate, were
presented on Saturday at the American College of Cardiology meeting
in New Orleans.
Of the 400,000 participants, 0.5 percent, or about 2,000 subjects,
received notifications of an irregular pulse. Those people were sent
an ECG (electrocardiography) patch to wear for subsequent detection
of atrial fibrillation episodes.
A third of those whose watches detected an irregular pulse were
confirmed to have atrial fibrillation using the ECG technology,
researchers said.
Some 84 percent of the irregular pulse notifications were later
confirmed to have been AF episodes, data showed.
"The physician can use the information from the study, combine it
with their assessment ... and then guide clinical decisions around
what to do with an alert," said Dr. Marco Perez, one of the study's
lead investigators from Stanford School of Medicine.
The study also found that 57 percent of participants who received an
alert on their watch sought medical attention.
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For Apple, the data provides firepower as it pushes into healthcare.
Its new Series 4 Watch, which became available only after the study
began so was not used, has the ability to take an electrocardiogram
to detect heart problems and required clearance from the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration.
Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a cardiologist from Brigham and Women's Hospital
in Boston who was not involved in the trial, called it an important
study as use of this type of wearable technology is only going to
become more prevalent.
"The study is an important first step in figuring out how can we use
these technologies in a way that's evidence based," he said.
Researchers urged caution by doctors in using data from consumer
devices when treating patients. But they also see great future
potential for this type of technology.
"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," said Lloyd
Minor, dean of Stanford School of Medicine.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra and Tamara Mathias in Bengaluru; editing
by Bill Berkrot
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