San Francisco: With a focus on identifying heart abnormalities such as left Ventricular dysfunctionRecent studies have taken a closer look at ECG capabilities Apple Watch.
Left ventricular dysfunction of the heart is usually followed by congestive heart failure which can lead to a number of cardiac disorders.
A Mayo Clinic study explains that cardiac dysfunction often goes undiagnosed due to its asymptomatic nature, meaning people with it are unaware of it, reports 9to5Mac.
It would be a major breakthrough if something like the Apple Watch could passively detect or help diagnose it, the report added.
The study included 2,454 patients from the US and 11 other countries. From August 2021 to February 2022, these participants sent 1,25,000 ECGs through their Apple Watch.
These results were then “scrubbed and processed by a proprietary AI algorithm developed by the researchers”, according to the report.
Using an average prediction over a 30-day window or an ECG close to the echocardiogram that determines EF, the AI algorithm detected patients with low EF (ejection fraction) with an area under the curve of 0.885 (95 percent confidence). interval 0.823-0.946) and 0.881 (0.815-0.947), the report said.
The findings show that “consumer-watch ECGs obtained in non-clinical environments can identify patients with cardiac dysfunction”.
The study also speculates that “the potential of smartwatches to conduct remote digital health studies is only in its infancy”.
