In his role as director of the Computational Arrhythmia Research Laboratory at Stanford University, cardiologist Sanjiv M. Narayan, MD, PhD, explores how cutting-edge technologies can help treat disorders like atrial fibrillation, the most common type of arrhythmia, currently affecting more than 5 million Americans. With a background including research at the University of California, San Diego, Dr. Sanjiv Narayan’s interests span many technologies, including wearable devices.
2. Introduction
• In his role as director of the Computational Arrhythmia
Research Laboratory at Stanford University, cardiologist
Sanjiv M. Narayan, MD, PhD, explores how cutting-edge
technologies can help treat disorders like atrial fibrillation,
the most common type of arrhythmia, currently affecting
more than 5 million Americans. With a background
including research at the University of California, San
Diego, Dr. Sanjiv Narayan’s interests span many
technologies, including wearable devices.
Over the last few years, cardiologists have become
increasingly interested in the role wearable technology can
play in helping monitor, manage, and treat arrhythmia and
other heart disorders. Until recently, however, few studies
had been undertaken to evaluate how accurately
wearables like smart watches could perform critical tasks
such as measuring heart rate.
3. Smart Watches
• But this situation changed in May 2018, when a new study
validating the accuracy of wrist-worn wearables was
presented at Heart Rhythm 2018, the Heart Rhythm
Society’s annual scientific conference.
The first analysis of its kind, the study looked at the
performance of three common wearable devices (the Apple
Watch Series 2, the Fitbit Charge 2, and the Samsung
Galaxy Gear S3) during episodes of rapid heart rate, a
common characteristic of many types of arrhythmia. Data
gathered from 51 study participants showed the accuracy
level of the wearables during these episodes was between
94% and 100%. These high rates of accuracy mean wearable
devices could be used as a reliable, effective tool for
patients and cardiologists alike. The question remains on
how such devices can help to change therapy, and if they
improve upon existing screening tools when widely used.