The Mayo Clinic is working on an algorithm that analyzes electrocardiogram data recorded on the Apple Watch. This algorithm will be able to detect a weak heart pump right from these ECG tests. This could identify life-threatening conditions in users earlier, without being in a medical facility.
According to STAT, this algorithm was presented at the Heart Rhythm Society conference in San Francisco. The study showed that the algorithm accurately identified weak heart pumps in a small number of patients. This test is part of a decentralized study of 125,000 Apple Watch ECG tests from participants in the US and 11 countries.
The cardiologists at the clinic believe the new findings will “establish an early possibility of using this capability in [Apple Watch]”.
This demonstrates that you can design studies to explore the usefulness of single lead (ECG) devices such as the Apple Watch in solving clinical problems, and the researchers are to be commended for that. This should be seen as a first step, but it’s by no means ready for prime time.
Colleen Stultz, cardiologist at the Massachusetts Brigham Educational Institution in Boston.
The study also used data from more than 2,400 people who had recently had an ECG. The Mayo Clinic app analyzes ECG recordings using an algorithm. Of the 16 patients with a weak heart pump, 13 of them were right.
Helps to identify heart problems at an early stage.
While it is best to use the algorithm for patients who are more likely to have heart problems, it is not clear who will actually benefit. However, the clinic is working to improve this. The company is currently working on a study that will involve one million people around the world to test different heart algorithms. Its goal is to identify heart disease in patients earlier so they can receive treatment before the situation worsens.
According to the STAT article, a weak heart pump is treatable and affects about 3% of people worldwide. Someone with a weak heart pump is at greater risk for arrhythmias and heart disease.
If you are a person with high blood pressure and diabetes and are over 60 years old, you may have a weak heart pump and not be aware of it. You may not see your doctor too often, but the watch you buy from the store can tell you there’s an important signal to check, so the implications are huge.
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Paul Friedman, Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic and Head of Study
More research is currently being done to make sure the algorithm can work with different people. It also aims to help high-risk patients achieve better health outcomes early on.
Sight
With more and more people buying an Apple Watch for health, it seems like it’s time to get some extra benefits. It will take some time to improve this Apple Watch algorithm, but it’s good to see progress. While these devices have saved lives in the past, they are likely to save even more in the future.
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