Periodically, a special application checked the pulse data of each participant. If the pulse was irregular, the application sent a notification to the participant. After that, he had to consult a research doctor and wear an ECG patch for the next week, which measured his cardiac activity.
During the study, 2,100 people received notifications, that is, only 0.5% of the total number of participants. Researchers found this a good indicator, “given the concern about excessive notifications.”
Of all the participants who received such notifications, 84% were in a state of atrial fibrillation at this very moment. According to the ECG results, atrial fibrillation was confirmed in 34%.
Doctors advise skepticism about the testimony of such gadgets. “There are many devices that try to track various characteristics, but very few have been tested in a good large-scale clinical trial. It is striking that out of more than four hundred thousand participants, only 0.5% had atrial fibrillation. But in order to reduce the level of false-positive results, we need another study with high-risk groups, for example, people over 65 with heart failure, ” Dr. Mitesh Patel commented on the results of the study in a conversation with a CNN correspondent.
The Stanford University study, sponsored by Apple, involved 419,093 people. The purpose of the study is to find out whether the Apple Watch sensor is able to detect atrial fibrillation, heart rhythm disturbances that can cause a stroke. The results of the study were presented at a conference of the American College of Cardiology March 15.
Nevertheless, while smart watches have not become a reliable tool for diagnostics, they emphasize both at Apple and at Stanford University. “Atrial fibrillation is just the beginning. Our study opens the door to further research on how gadgets can be used to prevent diseases before they occur, ”said Dr. Lloyd Minor, Dean of Stanford University.
Apple Releases Updates and New Health Programs
Yesterday at 20:00 Moscow time, Apple held a presentation, which opened the annual conference for WWDC 2019 developers. At the event, the company introduced the new iOS 13 for the iPhone, a separate operating system for the iPad, as well as updated versions of the software for Apple Watch and Mac.
WatchOS 6 will feature a separate hearing health tracking feature. If it is too loud around you, the clock will notify you. The “Doses” application will appear to track the time of taking the medicine and the “Cycles” to track the menstrual cycles. The Health application will improve – the watch will monitor user activity and compare it with the previous 90 days.
The new macOS Catalina will provide voice control for people with disabilities. The “Screen Time” function will help you monitor digital life.
