- The new algorithm uses Artificial Intelligence and was developed by the Mayo Clinic.
- The results of the research were presented at the last edition of the Heart Rhythm Society.
- The new function of the Apple Watch adds to others already available, such as detecting the incidence of atrial fibrosis and sleep apnea.
Thanks to technology it is now possible to carry out a large number of activities in a simpler way. Through mobile devices everything has been facilitated. While health has become one of the priorities for the world’s leading companies. They permanently allocate large investments to design innovations that are useful. The most recent case is that of a new algorithm for the Apple Watch with which it is possible to detect heart failure.
Health is a new priority
In this case, from Microsoft to Amazon they have specific divisions of the health market. Now all the tech giants have started hiring doctors. The goal is for them to contribute ideas so that the team of engineers and scientists can bring them to reality.
The reality is that more and more companies follow this model and now Mayo Clinic developed a new algorithm for the Apple Watch and through Artificial Intelligence allows detecting heart failure. Everything is based on the interpretation of the results of an electrocardiogram with the same clock.
How does it work?
In this way, the equipment increases the functions it can perform for the benefit of the users’ health. As part of the tests, a decentralized prospective study was carried out. A team of volunteers received an app that securely transferred EKGs from the watch in the background.
The abstract of the study was presented in the last edition of the Heart Rhythm Society. What is observed is that left ventricular dysfunction affects between 2% and 3% of people worldwide. Although when it comes to people over 60 years of age, the figure rises to 9%.
“What is important is that once we know there is a weak heartbeat, there are many treatments available to save lives and prevent symptoms. It is absolutely remarkable that AI transforms the EKG signal from a consumer watch into a detector for this condition, which would normally require an expensive and sophisticated imaging test such as a CT scan or MRI,” says Paul Friedman, president of the Mayo Clinic Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in Rochester.
A standard ECG uses 12 electrodes strategically placed on a person’s chest, arms, and legs to create a tracing that is used to evaluate the heart’s electrical signals. To interpret signals generated from a single lead on an Apple Watch, the researchers modified an established 12-lead algorithm for low ventricular ejection fraction.
Previous Mayo research has shown that the 12-lead ECG and artificial intelligence algorithm can identify a weak heartbeat and that this information is useful to physicians in an office setting.
The 12-lead ECG algorithm received Breakthrough Device Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019.
Now what is planned is that this new innovation to detect heart failure may be available in future versions of the Apple Watch. With this, it is consolidated as a team completely focused on health.
Other functions that the Apple Watch already has
Additionally, it is worth remembering the functions that the model available on the market already has and that will be maintained in all future releases. Among them is sleep monitoring to analyze the health of each user, as well as monitoring hand washing. When it identifies that too much time goes by without this hygiene habit, it will send a reminder. Within the current context it is very important due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
also allows detect the incidence of atrial fibrosis and it has a system that detects accidental falls and automatically calls the emergency services if the event has left the user vulnerable.
To the list is added the function called Movement Disorder APIwhich is specially designed for Parkinson’s patients because it allows monitoring the two main symptoms of people affected by this neurodegenerative condition: tremor in the hands and dyskinesia, information that can be collected through graphs to determine the progress or deterioration of the patient and thus help the doctor in charge.
Finally, it also allows detecting sleep apnea, one of the most frequent disorders among the population and one that reduces the quality of life of patients.