At San- Francisco Apple has launched an app to collect data from Apple Watch users in order to detect and notify them when they experience irregular heart rhythms, like atrial fibrillation — a leading cause of strokes.The app is called as “Apple Heart Study”, will be using Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor. Apple said that it is collaborating with Stanford University to improve the technology which is used to detect and analyse irregular heart rhythms.
Jeff Williams, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer said that,”Working alongside the medical community, not only can we inform people of certain health conditions, we also hope to advance discoveries in heart science.”
This new feature is applicable to those who are 22 years old and have an Apple Watch Series 1 or later can download it from the US app store. In this application to calculate heart rate and rhythm, Apple Watch’s sensor uses green LED lights flashing hundreds of times per second and light-sensitive photo-diodes to detect the amount of blood flowing through the wrist.The sensor’s optical design gathers signals from four distinct points on the wrist, and when combined with powerful software algorithms, Apple Watch isolates heart rhythms from other noise.
The main motive of this app is that it uses this technology to identify an irregular heart rhythm.
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 consultation with a study doctor and an electrocardiogram (ECG) patch for additional monitoring, Apple said.
