Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a serious condition affecting over five million Americans. Among individuals over 65, it is the leading cause of hospitalization. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, heart failure contributes to one in nine deaths.
Smartwatches could soon play a vital role in early detection.
Researchers at Tampere University have developed an innovative smartwatch-based method to detect congestive heart failure. Collaborating across disciplines—including cardiology and machine learning—experts designed a real-time analysis system that works with smartwatches and heart rate monitors.
Heart diseases often follow distinct cardiac activity patterns, which specialists can analyze to identify potential health issues. For instance, atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection relies on electrocardiogram (ECG) data to identify irregular heartbeat rhythms.
This new method applies a similar approach to CHF diagnosis by analyzing inter-beat (RR) intervals, which represent the length of a ventricular cardiac cycle. On an ECG graph, RR intervals indicate the time between two successive R-waves. The research team tested their technique against a control group of healthy individuals and those with AFib.
Published in Heart Rhythm O2, the study found that smartwatches can detect signs of CHF with remarkable accuracy. The system is not only accessible and cost-effective but also has the potential to identify early signs of heart failure, potentially saving lives.
“The study highlights the potential of non-invasive, cost-efficient RR interval analysis for early CHF and AFib detection,” the paper concludes. The method achieved 90% sensitivity and 92% specificity in identifying heart failure and AFib markers.
This isn’t the first breakthrough from the research team. Last year, they developed a smartwatch-based system capable of predicting the risk of sudden cardiac arrest using just a one-minute heart rate measurement.
“Our findings pave the way for early CHF detection using widely available devices, removing the need for complex diagnostic procedures,” says Professor Jussi Hernesniemi, a cardiologist at Tays Heart Hospital.
This latest advancement is part of a growing trend in smartwatch-based health research. Over the past decade, smartwatches have evolved from simple digital accessories into powerful health-monitoring tools.
Current models can already measure blood pressure and detect sleep apnea, while future developments may include blood glucose monitoring. Earlier this year, another study demonstrated how smartwatch data could accurately detect psychiatric conditions and even link them to genetic factors.
Smartwatches are quickly becoming indispensable tools for health monitoring, offering real-time insights that could revolutionize disease detection and prevention.
