Fitbit Inc launched a virtual study on Wednesday to test whether the wearable devices can detect irregular heart rhythms or atrial fibrillation.
The hardware to detect irregular beats is present on FitBit’s devices, but it is not available to consumers. Device users who enroll in the study are allowed to test it so that Fitbit can request the regulatory review. Fitbit, which is being taken over by Google mom Alphabet Inc, said in October it planned to https://www.reuters.com/article/us-fitbit-health/fitbit-in-healthcare-partnership-to-take -on-apple-watch-idUSKBN1WW263 develop a method to detect irregular heartbeat corresponding to the feature available on Apple Watch’s rival.
At the time, Fitbit said it would partner with the Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer Alliance to communicate with patients about the condition, but did not say when it would begin investigations to obtain approval from health authorities in the United States and elsewhere for detection. algorithm. Fitbit said the study announced Wednesday will fulfill that goal and generate data for its regulatory submissions around the world. The study will be led by Steven Lubitz, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
It is open to individuals in the United States over the age of 22 who own Fitbit heart rate tracking devices, such as the “Ionic” and “Versa” models. Fitbit strives to have hundreds of thousands of people study. Atrial fibrillation, the most common form of heart rhythm irregularity, increases the risk of stroke and usually occurs in people older than 65.
