Previewed at WWDC, launching in the fall.
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.
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.
Apple's study in partnership with American Well and Stanford is set to begin later this year, according to CNBC's sources.
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.
"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.
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11 months ago
('//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 ('//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 ('//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 ('//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.
11 months ago
('//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 ('//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 ('//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 ('//www.macrumors.com/2017/09/11/apple-watch-stanford-abnormal-heart-rhythms/')
11 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.
11 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....
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....
11 months ago
As someone with AFib, I may buy another Apple Watch if they get this working. Have the first one and found it pretty much useless to me. Maybe next year.
11 months ago
While this is technically speaking very awesome, they will have to do a really really good job in regards of privacy concerns. I don’t think Apple should have any access to this data at all and one should have the option to only very specifically share this data with others such as your doctor.
11 months ago
Apple could relive my abnormal heart rhythms by not raising the price of the new iPhone to $1,000 as rumored :p
11 months ago
That would be great!
I had AF. Had surgery to zap it in 2012. Sometimes my Apple Watch reads my heart rate as way under what it should be. Ie when running, it might go from 65 to 150 in a matter of seconds.
I put it down to maybe AF returning and the watch being confused by a non consistent beat.
On a slightly related note, I was on a date recently and showed her how the watch is constantly sending my heart rate information to the phone. She asked to look at it for that day. The smart girl looked at my elevated heart rate during the time I had spent with her, which she rightly decided that I liked her. After a few drinks she confidently made the first move, and I ended up in her bed that night. Thanks Apple Watch!!!!
I had AF. Had surgery to zap it in 2012. Sometimes my Apple Watch reads my heart rate as way under what it should be. Ie when running, it might go from 65 to 150 in a matter of seconds.
I put it down to maybe AF returning and the watch being confused by a non consistent beat.
On a slightly related note, I was on a date recently and showed her how the watch is constantly sending my heart rate information to the phone. She asked to look at it for that day. The smart girl looked at my elevated heart rate during the time I had spent with her, which she rightly decided that I liked her. After a few drinks she confidently made the first move, and I ended up in her bed that night. Thanks Apple Watch!!!!
11 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.
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