Study Suggests AliveCor KardiaBand for Apple Watch Can Be Used With AI Algorithm to Detect High Potassium

AliveCor, the company that makes an FDA-approved EKG band for the Apple Watch called KardiaBand, teamed up with the Mayo Clinic for a new study that suggests an AliveCor EKG device paired with artificial intelligence technology can non-invasively detect high levels of potassium in the blood.

A second study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic also confirms the KardiaBand's ability to accurately detect atrial fibrillation.

Kardia Band apple watch

AliveCor's KardiaBand

For the potassium study, AliveCor used more than 2 million EKGs from the Mayo Clinic from 1994 to 2017 paired with four million serum potassium values and data from an AliveCor smartphone EKG device to create an algorithm that can successfully detect hyperkalemia, aka high potassium, with a sensitivity range between 91 and 94 percent.

High potassium in the blood is a sign of several concerning health conditions, like congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes, and it can also be detected due to the medications used to treat these conditions. According to AliveCor, hyperkalemia is associated with "significant mortality and arrhythmic risk," but because it's typically asymptomatic, it often goes undetected.

Currently, the only way to test for high potassium levels is through a blood test, which AliveCor is aiming to change with the new non-invasive monitoring functionality.

AliveCor says that the AI technology used in the study could be commercialized through the KardiaBand for Apple Watch to allow patients to better monitor their health. Vic Gundotra, AliveCor CEO, said that the company is "on the path to change the way hyperkalemia can be detected" using products like the Apple Watch.

For the Cleveland Clinic study, cardiologists aimed to determine whether KardiaBand for Apple Watch could differentiate between atrial fibrillation and a normal heart rhythm. The researchers discovered that the KardiaBand was able to successfully detect Afib at an accuracy level comparable to physicians interpreting the same EKGs. The Kardia algorithm was able to correctly interpret atrial fibrillation with 93 percent sensitivity and 94 percent specificity. Sensitivity increased to 99 percent with a physician review of the KardiaBand recordings.

KardiaBand, which has been available since late last year, is available for purchase from AliveCor or from Amazon.com for $199. Using the KardiaBand also requires a subscription to the AliveCor premium service, priced at $99 per year.

AliveCor premium paired with the KardiaBand offers SmartRhythm notifications, unlimited EKG readings, detection of atrial fibrillation or normal sinus rhythm, and unlimited cloud history and reporting of all EKGs.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new 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. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

Schizoid Avatar
96 months ago
Hey Siri, i think I'm having a heart attack... help!

...

"I found a number of restaurants that serve kelp..."
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Denmac1 Avatar
96 months ago
You have to subscribe to use the hardware?? Screw that!
I just came off an A-fib incident. I spent 5 days in the hospital and the total hospital bill was $41,000. Thankfully, with Medicare, my portion was only $1200. Let's see...that would pay for 12 years of monitoring and possibly avoid a hospital stay, which is not a pleasant experience. You are poked and prodded every 4 - 6 hours, are served terrible food and are subject to care that can be interpreted in many different ways, not always good. A-fib has a high stroke risk.
A-fib, in many cases can be controlled, depending on the severity, with proper medication. I was fortunate enough to have a good cardiologist and was able to convert back to normal sinus rhythm with my meds. With advance knowledge, I would have been able to increase my meds earlier and would have avoided the whole 'health care' situation.
Those that have or can suffer from A-fib alone in the US, number over 2 Million. To many of us, this would be a small cost and to me, is a good return on investment.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Craiger Avatar
96 months ago
You have to subscribe to use the hardware?? Screw that!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
96 months ago
You have to subscribe to use the hardware?? Screw that!
Compared to one's health with issues like this, the yearly fee is pale in comparison.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sparkhill Avatar
96 months ago
+1 for making me google the differences between an ECG and EKG.
They are the same thing.


This is very, very clever. The watch doesn't actually measure serum potassium (K+). The company suggests there is a correlation between high serum potassium and atrial fibrillation. The company's software "simply" monitors for changes in an EKG which correlate (91 to 94% of the time) with high serum potassium. This is very, very clever.
It gets confusing but the serum potassium alogoritm is completely different from the atrial fibrillatin alogoritm. Both are based on the morphology (shape) of the ECG but they look at different aspects of the ECG.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5652040/
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
96 months ago
This is promising news. Seeing articles like this makes me glad that I purchased the Apple Watch, even if it can't currently do all that we would like right now.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)