By Clinical Informatics News Staff 

November 30, 2017 | Apple today launched the Apple Heart Study app, a study using Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor to collect data on irregular heart rhythms and notify users who may be experiencing atrial fibrillation (AFib).

Apple COO Jeff Williams called the study “a virtual clinical trial,” in an interview with CBNC. Apple emphasized that the Apple Heart Study app is not meant to be diagnostic, though participants will be connected with a physician if arrhythmia is detected. The Apple Heart Study app is available in the US App Store to customers who are 22 years or older and have an Apple Watch Series 1 or later.

AFib is one of the most common arrhythmias and one of the leading causes of stroke, but for many people the irregularity is paroxysmal, or occasional, making it hard to diagnose.

Apple hopes to do us using green light photoplethysmography or PPG. PPG sensors use green LED lights flashing hundreds of times per second and light-sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood flowing through the wrist. The sensor’s unique optical design gathers signals from four distinct points on the wrist, and when combined with software algorithms, Apple Watch isolates heart rhythms from other noise. The Apple Watch has been using PPG sensors to report heart rate since the first Watch was announced, but the Apple Heart Study app includes software to determine not just heart rate, but irregular heart rhythm.

Apple is partnering with Stanford Medicine to perform the research. As part of the study, if an irregular heart rhythm is identified, participants will receive a notification on their Apple Watch and iPhone, a free video consultation with a doctor American Well. In some cases, the doctor may recommend an electrocardiogram (EKG) patch that will be mailed to the participant at no cost.  

BioTelemetry is partnering with Apple to provide the EKG patches, which are worn for seven days and can determine whether irregularities are atrial fibrillation or another arrhythmia.  BioTelemetry provides cardiac monitoring, mobile blood glucose monitoring, centralized medical imaging, and original equipment manufacturing.

“We are extremely excited to be participating in this potentially ground-breaking study,” said Joseph H. Capper, President and CEO of BioTelemetry, in a statement. “Too often, the first indication of a cardiac arrhythmia is the occurrence of a life-threatening event.  The Apple initiative will potentially benefit countless individuals who are unaware that they may be at risk for serious health issues.”

Today, AliveCor, another company focusing on mobile EKGS, announced FDA-clearance for its EKG Apple Watch band, KardiaBand, and the SmartRhythms monitoring module in the AliveCor Kardia app. The SmartRhythms module uses artificial intelligence in conjunction with the Apple Watch PPG sensor and activity sensors to predict normal heart rhythms and alert a user to take an EKG when rhythms appear abnormal. When using the KardiaBand, a user can immediately take their own EKG and see the results within the watch.