Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Research → Technology

Your smartwatch may soon alert you if you have an irregular heart rhythm

Smartwatches are turning more and more into medical devices.

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
May 15, 2023
in Future, Health, News, Technology
Edited and reviewed by Zoe Gordon

Samsung recently announced that it got FDA clearance for irregular heart rhythm notifications. The company’s watches already have an electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) monitoring function, and the new feature will roll out later this year.

Samsung watches may soon send out notifications like this. Image credits: Samsung.

The fact that watches can track your heart rate is no longer a novelty, but increasingly, the time-keeping tools we carry on our wrists do more than just keep time. For instance, some watches already have on-demand ECG recording and alert functions that let you know when something is off with your heart rate. Now, several companies are looking at the next thing: arrhythmia.

A heart arrhythmia is essentially an irregular heartbeat. It’s not like when you exercise and the rate goes up, or when you relax and it goes down. It happens when something is off with your heart rhythm. Frequent irregular rhythm may indicate that your heart is not pumping enough blood to your body and could cause serious problems in time. They can lead to stroke, heart failure, or cardiac arrest.

“Cardiovascular disease remains one of the world’s leading causes of death, and AFib — a type of arrhythmia — is widely considered a warning sign for major cardiovascular issues that can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and other cardiovascular complications,” writes Samsung in a press release. “Moreover, some of AFib cases are asymptomatic or even silent, leaving people unaware of their risk.”

Arrhythmias are treatable with medicine or procedures — but detecting them isn’t easy, and figuring out whether they happen regularly is even harder. That’s where watches come in.

We carry our watches around all day, so if they could look for things like arrhythmias, you’d be essentially having a monitor with you. You don’t need to do anything: once the feature is enabled, the watch will monitor for irregular heart rhythm in the background and alert users once a threshold of irregularity is reached. Then, you’ll be prompted to take an electrocardiogram.

Image credits: Samsung.

“We’re excited to announce that Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification, designed to help millions of people around the world who may not be aware of a potential heart risk, has been cleared by the FDA,” said Hon Pak, Vice President and Head of the Digital Health Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics. “This is yet another example of how Samsung prioritizes proactive safety solutions and enables users to receive a more holistic understanding of their cardiovascular and overall health.”

Samsung isn’t the only company looking at this. The FDA also granted approval for Fitbit’s passive AFib monitoring feature recently. However, although watches are gaining more and more smart functions that can help keep us healthy, it’s important to keep in mind that they are not specialized medical equipment.

In fact, Samsung specifically emphasizes that the feature is “not intended to provide a notification on every episode of irregular rhythm suggestive of AFib” and that “the absence of a notification is not intended to indicate no disease process is present”. The feature is also not aimed at users who have known arrhythmias or are aged 21 or less. It strictly aimed as an early-warning tool.

“ECG app is not intended to replace traditional methods of diagnosis or treatment,” writes Samsung. “Users should not interpret or take clinical action based on the device output without consultation of a qualified healthcare professional.”

“The HR Alert function is for general health and wellness purposes and is not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease.”

Still, while it’s crucial to keep in mind that these aren’t specialized medical devices, it’s pretty remarkable just how much health and wellness information fitness trackers can provide nowadays. This advent of wearable smart tech works hand in hand with personalized medicine, and these signals could be used to inform medical practitioners and provide early alerts for a number of health issues. However, some experts see this as yet another frontier for privacy breaches, where companies can have access to personalized data that they can then use for other purposes. Data collected by a fitness app is not protected like health information under the law, at least in most countries.

The Samsung feature will first become available on the new UI update. It will roll out first to the upcoming Galaxy Watch devices later this year, and then to devices sold previously.

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. Earth just had its shortest day ever — and an irregular wobble at the poles may be to blame
  2. This slime mold smartwatch is a living gadget — and it serves an important purpose
  3. People with irregular heartbeat are at risk of wide ranging health problems, not just stroke
  4. Your smartwatch might be giving away your ATM PIN
  5. Sleep deprivation and irregular sleep patterns are linked to anxiety and depression
Tags: smart watchwearable technology

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW