Smartwatch Heart Data Can Catch Pending Problems

January 27, 2025
Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

Sue VanWassenhove’s adult children got her a smartwatch to track her health after she fell a couple times.

Fiddling with the device, VanWassenhove found out that she had a pattern of her heart rate dropping, and immediately lined up an appointment with a heart doctor.

“Having a smartwatch is very empowering because I’m not being passive with my healthcare,” VanWassenhove, 78, of Upper Arlington, Ohio, said in a news release.

“I have some heart issues that need monitored, and it’s important for me to talk to my cardiologist or primary care doctor about any health issues that show up on my watch,” she added.

More people should follow VanWassenhove’s lead, experts say.

It’s increasingly easier for people to self-monitor their heart health, using devices like smartwatches, finger heart monitors and automatic blood pressure cuffs.

But few people are passing on that useful data to their doctor, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans are using a device on a regular basis to monitor their heart health, the survey found.

The most popular options include smartwatches (32%), portable blood pressure machines (31%), fitness apps (19%) and wearable fitness/movement trackers (13%).

Unfortunately, only 1 in 4 people using that data to prompt a conversation about their heart health with a doctor, the survey found.

“These self-monitoring devices are really helpful to patients and their healthcare providers because they can potentially catch things early,” VanWassenhove’s doctor, Dr. Laxmi Mehta, said in a news release.

“For example, if patients are monitoring their blood pressure at home and notice it’s been going up over time, they may want to discuss it with their doctor sooner rather than waiting for their annual visit. Or they may capture some irregular heart rhythms on their devices, like atrial fibrillation, much sooner than would be diagnosed at the doctor’s office,” added Mehta, director of preventative cardiology and women’s cardiovascular health at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.

VanWassenhove has sleep apnea, which affects her heart rate and breathing. That prompted her to keep a close eye on her watch’s heart data.

During an appointment with Mehta, VanWassenhove learned her smartwatch could perform an EKG reading, tracking the electrical signals in her heart.

What’s more, she could send the results to Mehta through her electronic medical chart.

“A normal heart rate is between 60 to 100 beats per minute without exercise,” Mehta said. “Heart rates can vary due to heart conditions or a variety of non-heart related reasons such as infection, dehydration, anxiety or thyroid disorders. When someone’s heart rate or rhythm seems different than usual, it’s best for them to speak with their doctor.”

The survey involved 1,008 people polled by telephone and on the web from Dec. 16-18. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

More information

The AARP has more on using smartwatches to track heart health.

SOURCE: Ohio State University, news release, Jan. 22, 2024