Stanford Medicine Apple Watch Heart Study Notifies 2,000 Users of Irregular Heart Rhythm

A Stanford University School of Medicine study of Apple Watch users found that 0.5% of users received an irregular heart rhythm notification.

The findings were presented on Friday at the at the American College of Cardiology’s 68th Annual Scientific Session and Expo.

The study, launched in November 2017, enrolled over 400,000 participants to evaluate the Apple Watch’s irregular heart rhythm notification feature.

The feature monitors the heart’s rhythm in the background and will notify a user if an irregular heart rhythm suggests atrial fibrillation or AFib. Study participants receiving a notification also received a telephone consultation with a physician and an electrocardiogram patch for additional monitoring.

“Many participants sought medical advice following their irregular rhythm notification,” Apple said

The watch uses a sensor comprised of green LEDS that flash hundreds of times per seconds as well as light-sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood flowing through the watch’s contact area with the wrist. The watch uses algorithms to isolate heart rhythms from other noise.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)