Apple recently launched the Apple Heart Study app, which may help save lives. This app has a heart rate sensor that can detect an irregular heart rhythm. It will notify a person if they are experiencing atrial fibrillation.
Afib is the top cause of stroke. It causes 750,000 hospitalizations and 130,000 deaths per year. Many people do not have any symptoms, which is why this condition often goes undiagnosed. The Apple Heart Study app uses the LED green lights in order to calculate a person’s heart rate and rhythm.
The LED green lights work by detecting the amount of blood that flows to the wrist. It also uses an algorithm to detect the heart rhythm. Jeff Williams is the CEO of Apple. He stated that Apple receives letters every week from people whose lives have been changed by the Apple Watch. Many people found out that they had Afib. That is why Apple was inspired to do even more to help people.
Apple is conducting research along with Stanford Medicine. They are currently looking for participants. Subjects will get a notification if an irregular heart rhythm is detected. People who have an irregular heart rhythm will receive a free consultation with a physician and an electrocardiogram. Subjects must be at least 22-years-old. The Apple Heart Study app is available on the app store. You can download if you have an Apple Watch Series 1 or a newer device.
Lloyd Minor is the Dean of Stanford University School of Medicine. He is excited about the study because he believes that he will make it easier for people to get the care that they need. Doctors and researchers have already used Apple devices in order to improve health care. It is estimated that over three million people and 500 researchers have participated in the Apple studies.
