AF Detection by Smartwatch Challenging in Some Patients
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The ability of an Apple Watch to detect atrial fibrillation (AF) is significantly affected by underlying ECG abnormalities such as sinus node dysfunction, atrioventricular (AV) block, or intraventricular conduction delay (IVCD), a single-center study suggests. The investigators tested the accuracy of the Apple Watch (Apple, Cupertino, California) in detecting AF in patients with various ECG anomalies. All participants underwent 12-lead ECG, followed by a 30-second ECG tracing with an Apple Watch Series 5. The smartwatch’s automated AF detection algorithm gave a result of "no signs of AF," "AF," or "not checked for AF (unclassified)."
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@kirti The smartwatch recordings were reviewed by a blinded electrophysiologist who interpreted each tracing and assigned a diagnosis of "AF," "absence of AF," or "diagnosis unclear." To assess interobserver agreement, a second blinded electrophysiologist interpreted 100 randomly selected tracings.