You Can Monitor Heart Rhythm With A Smartphone, But Should You?
Digital gizmos can monitor your heart, whether it's a wrist-worn fitness tracker or a smartphone app to help cardiologists analyze diagnostic tests. The question is whether they're going to do your heart any good. The short answer: It depends.
One thing to consider is whether the device is a consumer fitness monitor for tracking heart rate, or if it's a medical device approved by the Food and Drug Administration for detecting potentially dangerous heart rhythm irregularities.
First, the fitness monitors. Wrist-worn fitness trackers become less accurate with more vigorous exercise, which presumably is when you'd most want to know your heart rate. The study, published Wednesday in JAMA Cardiology, tested the Apple Watch, Fitbit Charge HR, Basis Peak and Mio Alpha wristbands.
One thing to consider is whether the device is a consumer fitness monitor for tracking heart rate, or if it's a medical device approved by the Food and Drug Administration for detecting potentially dangerous heart rhythm irregularities.
First, the fitness monitors. Wrist-worn fitness trackers become less accurate with more vigorous exercise, which presumably is when you'd most want to know your heart rate. The study, published Wednesday in JAMA Cardiology, tested the Apple Watch, Fitbit Charge HR, Basis Peak and Mio Alpha wristbands.