AI Researchers Use Apple Watch Data To Check For A Silent Heart Condition

Researchers at Mayo Clinic recently used an artificial intelligence algorithm to check whether people's hearts were pumping blood properly to the rest of the body.

For this purpose, they took ECG data from Apple Watches of users from 11 countries who signed up for the study over e-mail. Over six months, more than 125,000 ECGs were logged by the clinic.

They checked for a condition known as low ejection fraction, wherein the heart pumps less blood than normal with each beat. The condition is linked with heart failure and remains undetected with no signs and symptoms. "Left ventricular dysfunction¡ªa weak heart pump¡ªafflicts 2% to 3% of people globally and up to 9% of people over age 60," said Paul Friedman from Mayo Clinic in a statement.

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How was the study conducted?

After enrolling for the study via email, participants downloaded an app that transferred watch ECGs in the background for six months. More than anything else, the study highlights the use value of wearables like Apple Watches as tools with diagnostic potential.

Also read: How An Apple Watch's ECG Capability Alerted A Haryana Man And Saved His Life

"Approximately 420 patients had a watch ECG recorded within 30 days of a clinically ordered echocardiogram, or ultrasound of the heart, a standard test to measure pump strength. We took advantage of those data to see whether we could identify a weak heart pump with AI analysis of the watch ECG. While our data are early, the test had an area under the curve of 0.88, meaning it is as good as or slightly better than a medical treadmill test. AI analysis of the watch ECG is a powerful test to identify a weak heart pump," said Itzhak Zachi Attia, the lead AI scientist at Mayo Clinic.

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Also read: Woman Says Apple Watch Detected Her Thyroid Condition Months Before Diagnosis

A smartphone app was developed for this study's purpose. 2,454 patients with an iPhone, the dedicated app, and an Apple Watch series 4 or later participated in the study. ¡°It is absolutely remarkable that AI transforms a consumer watch ECG signal into a detector of this condition, which would normally require an expensive, sophisticated imaging test, such as an echocardiogram, CT scan or MRI," Friedman added.

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