Heart rhythm problems detected four times more often with smartwatches

Smartwatches may play a key role in spotting heart rhythm problems. A study by Amsterdam UMC, in partnership with Cardiologie Centra Nederland, followed 437 patients and found that those wearing a smartwatch were four times more likely to have heart rhythm disorders detected compared with those who did not wear one.

In the study, 219 patients over 65 with a high risk of heart rhythm disorders wore an Apple Watch equipped with PPG and ECG features for 12 hours daily. These functions track heart rhythm in multiple ways, and other smartwatch brands offer similar capabilities.

The other 218 patients underwent traditional monitoring, using adhesive chest electrodes linked to a portable ECG device. Traditional monitoring is limited to two weeks of recording at a time, and patients often find it cumbersome, researchers noted.

Six months into the study, 21 patients wearing smartwatches were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, four times more than the five cases detected in the non-smartwatch group. Notably, 12 of the smartwatch patients showed no symptoms, while all patients diagnosed in the traditional monitoring group experienced noticeable symptoms.

“Wearables that track both your pulse and heart’s electrical activity by combining PPG and ECG functions have been around for a while now. However, how well this technology works for the screening of patients at elevated risk for atrial fibrillation had not yet been investigated in a real-world setting,” Nicole van Steijn, a PhD candidate at Amsterdam UMC said.

Researchers believe that undiagnosed arrhythmias are likely more common in the group using traditional monitoring. “Many people do not notice they have atrial fibrillation, which makes it nearly impossible to detect with conventional methods,” says Michiel Winter, a cardiologist at Amsterdam UMC. “Patients without symptoms rarely seek an ECG, and atrial fibrillation can be brief. Traditional monitoring lasts only a few days to a maximum of two weeks, so the arrhythmia is often missed.”

Winter concludes that smartwatches are effective not just for long-term monitoring, which enables detection of arrhythmias when they happen, but also for improving the overall detection rate. “In other words, continuous monitoring over an extended period allows heart rhythm disorders to be spotted faster and more easily, so action can be taken immediately,” the cardiologist explained.