Apple Working With Stanford to Determine If Apple Watch Can Detect Abnormal Heart Rhythms

Apple is planning to work with Stanford and telemedicine vendor American Well to determine whether the heart rate sensor in the Apple Watch can be used to detect abnormal heart rhythms and common heart conditions, reports CNBC.

An Apple Watch, if able to accurately detect arrhythmias, or abnormal heart patterns, could identify patients that are at a high risk of atrial fibrillation or similar conditions. Heart arrhythmias aren't always symptoms of a serious disease, but Apple Watch owners could find out about a problem from the Apple Watch and then get it checked out at a doctor if the device is determined to accurately predict heart problems.

Apple Watch Heart Rate Monitor 1

"Atrial fibrillation is a common rhythm disorder and knowing someone has it is medically useful because those people might need specific treatments," said Bob Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco.

A study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco and the team behind the Cardiogram app previously determined that the Apple Watch was able to detect abnormal heart rhythms with 97 percent accuracy. Apple could get even better results as it has access to raw data.

Just today, Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about Apple's health interests in an interview with Fortune. He said Apple is "extremely interested" in health, and that it represents a major business opportunity.

If you look at it, medical health activity is the largest or second-largest component of the economy, depending on which country in the world you're dealing with. And it hasn't been constructed in a way where the focus at the device level is making great products from a pure point of view. The focus has been on making products that can get reimbursed through the insurance companies, through Medicare, or through Medicaid. And so in some ways we bring a totally fresh view into this and say, 'Forget all of that. What will help people?'

Cook also said that Apple has been surprised to learn how the heart rate monitoring in the Apple Watch has already been helping people. Many people collect data with the Apple Watch, notice something amiss, and then go to the doctor to get it checked out. "A not-insignificant number have found out if they hadn't come into the doctor they would have died," said Cook.

Apple's study in partnership with American Well and Stanford is set to begin later this year, according to CNBC's sources.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...

Top Rated Comments

Mansu944 Avatar
105 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/11/apple-watch-stanford-abnormal-heart-rhythms/')


Apple is planning to work with Stanford and telemedicine vendor American Well to determine whether the heart rate sensor in the Apple Watch can be used to detect abnormal heart rhythms and common heart conditions, reports CNBC ('https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/11/apple-watch-caridac-arrhythmia-tests-stanford-american-well.html').

An Apple Watch, if able to accurately detect arrhythmias, or abnormal heart patterns, could identify patients that are at a high risk of atrial fibrillation or similar conditions. Heart arrhythmias aren't always symptoms of a serious disease, but Apple Watch owners could find out about a problem from the Apple Watch and then get it checked out at a doctor if the device is determined to accurately predict heart problems.


A study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco and the team behind the Cardiogram app previously determined ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/05/11/apple-watch-abnormal-heart-rhythm-detection/') that the Apple Watch was able to detect abnormal heart rhythms with 97 percent accuracy. Apple could get even better results as it has access to raw data.

Just today, Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about Apple's health interests in an interview ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/11/tim-cook-apple-changes-the-world-interview/') with Fortune. He said Apple is "extremely interested" in health, and that it represents a major business opportunity.Cook also said that Apple has been surprised to learn how the heart rate monitoring in the Apple Watch has already been helping people. Many people collect data with the Apple Watch, notice something amiss, and then go to the doctor to get it checked out. "A not-insignificant number have found out if they hadn't come into the doctor they would have died," said Cook.

Apple's study in partnership with American Well and Stanford is set to begin later this year, according to CNBC's sources.

Article Link: Apple Working With Stanford to Determine If Apple Watch Can Detect Abnormal Heart Rhythms ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/11/apple-watch-stanford-abnormal-heart-rhythms/')
Now this is really cool...I'm excited where the apple watch can go.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rarecandie Avatar
105 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/11/apple-watch-stanford-abnormal-heart-rhythms/')


Apple is planning to work with Stanford and telemedicine vendor American Well to determine whether the heart rate sensor in the Apple Watch can be used to detect abnormal heart rhythms and common heart conditions, reports CNBC ('https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/11/apple-watch-caridac-arrhythmia-tests-stanford-american-well.html').

An Apple Watch, if able to accurately detect arrhythmias, or abnormal heart patterns, could identify patients that are at a high risk of atrial fibrillation or similar conditions. Heart arrhythmias aren't always symptoms of a serious disease, but Apple Watch owners could find out about a problem from the Apple Watch and then get it checked out at a doctor if the device is determined to accurately predict heart problems.


A study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco and the team behind the Cardiogram ('https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cardiogram/id1000017994?ls=1&mt=8') app previously determined ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/05/11/apple-watch-abnormal-heart-rhythm-detection/') that the Apple Watch was able to detect abnormal heart rhythms with 97 percent accuracy. Apple could get even better results as it has access to raw data.

Just today, Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about Apple's health interests in an interview ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/11/tim-cook-apple-changes-the-world-interview/') with Fortune. He said Apple is "extremely interested" in health, and that it represents a major business opportunity.Cook also said that Apple has been surprised to learn how the heart rate monitoring in the Apple Watch has already been helping people. Many people collect data with the Apple Watch, notice something amiss, and then go to the doctor to get it checked out. "A not-insignificant number have found out if they hadn't come into the doctor they would have died," said Cook.

Apple's study in partnership with American Well and Stanford is set to begin later this year, according to CNBC's sources.

Article Link: Apple Working With Stanford to Determine If Apple Watch Can Detect Abnormal Heart Rhythms ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/11/apple-watch-stanford-abnormal-heart-rhythms/')
[doublepost=1505197524][/doublepost]I can say my Apple Watch saved my life. I had very strange readings and went to my Doctor. He looked at them sent me off to a cardiologist who diagnosed me with ventricular tachycardia and implanted a defibrillator which saved my life August 24. I sent a thank you to Tim and everyone in Cupertino. I had no clue I had this issue before the watch.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
190991 Avatar
105 months ago
Few non-medical people understand the difference between heart rate (detected by the electrical activity of the heart - ECG/EKG) and the pulse rate, which is detected by pulse oximetry and the like (ie. the Apple Watch).

They are not the same and can differ markedly.

There is an awful lot you can't diagnose with the pulse rate alone and it would be dangerous to imply that you can, and make medical decisions with the data.

Leave the medical grade monitoring to medical grade equipment thanks....
Well even you don't understand the difference. Heart rate (number of contractions of the heart per minute) is not detected by electrocardiography (ECG) but rather by echocardiography (echo; ultrasound of the heart), or by auscultating the heart with a stethoscope. ECG only meassures the electrical activity, which not always translates into a heart beat and thus not always contributes to the heart rate.

Regardless, a pulse measurement may be able to indicate an arythmia. It would probably miss some of the arythmias, but it would rarely give false positive results as the difference from electrical activity to heart rate to pulse is usually a loss of frequency rather than addition. Thus a warning about an uneven or too fast pulse would rarely be false positive. This would possibly help find plenty of undiagnosed atrial fibrillations – especially if data is combined with other predisposing risk factors such as age – and save people from strokes, for example.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nitramluap Avatar
105 months ago
Few non-medical people understand the difference between heart rate (detected by the electrical activity of the heart - ECG/EKG) and the pulse rate, which is detected by pulse oximetry and the like (ie. the Apple Watch).

They are not the same and can differ markedly.

There is an awful lot you can't diagnose with the pulse rate alone and it would be dangerous to imply that you can, and make medical decisions with the data.

Leave the medical grade monitoring to medical grade equipment thanks....
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Juan007 Avatar
105 months ago
Amazing! The watch can literally save your life.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ryanwarsaw Avatar
105 months ago
That's all good and great but I need an updated Mac Mini before my heart skips beats. Are you listening to me Timmy? The next 24 hours will define how we interact as human beings here on MR.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)