After the release of the Apple Watch, Apple has promoted many practical cases, such as being able to help the wearer detect atrial fibrillation (AFib) early. However, a new study points out that most Apple Watch users don’t get substantial help — and most doctors don’t prescribe drugs based on that, because the condition is common among older adults.
Study author Josh Pevnick, co-director of the department of informatics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, noted:
Getting alerts related to arrhythmias doesn’t help the typical Apple Watch user’s health as a whole.
In addition to the benefit in the case of no treatment, AFib alerts can also make identified wearers feel anxious.
It is reported that, including Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and Withings, there are currently a number of wearable products on the market that have obtained FDA approval for heart rate monitoring.
However, even if a problem is found, it does not mean that action can be taken. In most cases, doctors won’t jump to conclusions.
But that’s what makes Josh Pevnick and other researchers want to know how useful this information is to patients.
People with atrial fibrillation are known to be more prone to stroke, and doctors often prescribe blood thinners to reduce this risk.
On the other hand, this regimen is not suitable for everyone who experiences arrhythmia, especially young people who lack other underlying stroke factors.
At Josh Pecnick’s medical center, most Apple Watch owners fall into the latter category. This means that most young Apple Watches would not be recommended for anticoagulant therapy even if they were found to have atrial fibrillation.
The new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association in February, found that Cedars-Sinai Medical Center implemented a process to link patients’ Apple Watch data with their electronic medical records.
The research team looked at Apple Watch and clinical data from about 1,800 patients, including medication histories and demographic analysis techniques, but didn’t focus on how many actually saw alerts for abnormal heart rhythms.
Even so, the study found that only 0.25% of patients with atrial fibrillation flagged by the device who wore the Apple Watch were eligible for anticoagulants.
Josh Pevnick concluded: “In most cases, older adults at higher risk are more likely to be diagnosed with AFib.
However, with the popularity of smart wearable devices, more relatively healthy young people are being detected early signs, but doctors have not yet found the best way to treat them.
In other words, we’re finding a different type of atrial fibrillation, unlike previous studies.