Metric
Wearable ECG
Does your watch's irregular-heartbeat alert actually catch atrial fibrillation, and does catching it earlier actually help? Here's what the accuracy and screening research shows.
Consumer wearables now offer two related but distinct features: a single-lead ECG you can trigger yourself, and a background PPG-based algorithm that watches for an irregular pulse and alerts you when it finds one. Both are marketed around atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common heart-rhythm disorder and a real stroke risk factor. The two questions worth separating are whether these features actually detect AFib accurately, and whether catching it this way actually changes outcomes. The evidence answers them very differently.
More on Wearable ECG
Does Wearable ECG Accurately Detect Atrial Fibrillation?
I looked at what the diagnostic accuracy research actually shows about wearable ECG and AFib detection, including where the numbers hold up and where they don't.
Wearable ECG Device Comparisons and the Inconclusive Reading Problem
A look at head-to-head research on wearable ECG accuracy and why so many tracings across devices come back unreadable rather than clearly normal or abnormal.
Does Wearable AFib Screening Actually Reduce Stroke Risk?
I dug into the randomized trials on AFib screening and stroke outcomes to see whether wearable and patch-based detection actually moves the needle.
Does a Cuffless Blood Pressure Wearable Actually Work?
I looked at what the research actually says about cuffless blood pressure wearables, and the answer depends heavily on which device and which sensor.
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