Health IT, Patient Engagement

Apple upgrades heart monitoring tech to flag arrhythmias, adds new study with Stanford Medicine

Apple COO Jeff Williams noted that the company has been working on improvements to its heart rate monitoring technology over the past couple of years and claimed that Apple's heart rate monitor is the most widely used in the world.

Apple upgraded its heart monitoring technology to measure active and resting heart rates for iPhone and smartwatch users.

 

Apple upgraded its heart monitoring technology in the latest iteration of its smartwatch as part of a larger product preview this week. The company also has announced an upcoming study it is launching with Stanford researchers and the FDA called the Apple Heart Study.

Apple COO Jeff Williams noted in Apple’s live-streamed product announcements that the company has been working on improvements to its heart rate monitoring technology over the past couple of years and claimed that Apple’s heart rate monitor is the most widely used in the world.

The watch0s4, which will be available later this month, includes enhancements to the heart rate sensor from the previous version of its smartwatch. The updated heart rate app provides more insight on the user’s heart rate. It includes measures for resting heart rate, workout, and recovery, according to a description on the company’s website.  It also gives users the choice of receiving notifications when their resting heart rate is elevated beyond their baseline rate, Williams said.

The enhancements are not only designed to help users track whether their fitness is improving but also to alert them when they have an arrhythmia or irregular heart beat, which can indicate a more serious heart condition such as atrial fibrillation. It’s an interesting addition since people don’t tend to feel the symptoms of Afib, the most common form of arrhythmia, so it often goes undiagnosed.

The app will be the focus of a study to identify irregular heart rates, including potentially serious heart conditions such as Afib, the study with Stanford and FDA is expected to launch later this year, according to the website.

That study should not be confused with a separate study at Stanford Medicine called My Heart Counts. The study is collecting and analyze heart data through an app developed by Stanford using Apple’s ResearchKit clinical study tool. The My Heart Counts app is designed to be used with Apple’s iPhone and smartwatch.

Study participants will take a questionnaire and their activity data will be collected through their iPhone or smartwatch for seven days, according to the  Stanford Medicine website. Users will do a 6-minute walk test, enter information about risk factors and blood tests to determine their risk score. The app prompts users every three months to update their data. The app also steers users to try different ways to improve their activity and heart health.

Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned the company’s heart monitor as one of several areas of healthcare where it sees opportunities for future growth in an interview with Fortune Monday.

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