In a study conducted by Stanford Medicine and Apple, the Apple watch was able to notify approx 2,000 people of irregular heart rhythm out of a total of 4,00,000 participants
Highlight
- Results of Apple and Stanford Medicine’s ‘Apple Heart Study’ have been announced.
- The study was conducted over a span of 8 month in the US and made use of the Apple Watch.
- The device managed to notify approx 2,000 people of irregular heart rhythm out of a total of 4,00,000 participants.
Stanford Medicine has announced the results of the Apple Heart Study that was conducted over the course of 2018. The study was conducted in a partnership between Apple and Stanford, and enrolled over 4,00,000 participants from all 50 states of the United States in a span of eight months. It evaluated the Apple Watch’s irregular rhythm notification, that occasionally checks the heart’s rhythm in the background and sends a notification if it detects any irregularity, which could be suggestive of atrial fibrillation. As part of the study, those who received a notification would get a telehealth consultation with a doctor and an electrocardiogram (ECG) patch for additional monitoring.
The researchers presented their findings at the American College of Cardiology’s 68th Annual Scientific Session and Expo. The results showed that 0.5% (2,000) of the 4,00,000 participants received a notification for irregular heart rhythm. According to Apple’s press release, many of the participants sought medical advice following their irregular rhythm notification and that they used the information to have “more meaningful conversations with their doctors”.
“We are proud to work with Stanford Medicine as they conduct this important research and look forward to learning more about the impact of Apple Watch alongside the medical community,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s COO. “We hope consumers will continue to gain useful and actionable information about their heart health through Apple Watch.”
To recall, Apple announced the study back in 2017. Participants needed to have an Apple Watch Series 1 or later and download an app called the Apple Heart Study app. The app used the Watch’s sensors, combined with software algorithms to identify an irregular heart rhythm.
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