Google has announced that a new algorithm that detects atrial fibrillation has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The new Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications will be rolling out across a range of Fitbit devices that are able to measure heart rate in the near future. The company didn’t say which watches will receive it but it said it wants to make it as widely available as possible to help people detect the condition.
According to Google, AFib is an irregular heart rhythm that affects 33.5 million people around the world and can cause people to a suffer stroke at five times higher rates. The condition can be difficult to detect as people do not get symptoms. The new photoplethysmography (PPG) algorithm checks your heart rhythm while you sleep and anything that looks suspicious will be reported through a notification so you can talk to your doctor.
Explaining what the algorithm does, Google said:
“When your heart beats, tiny blood vessels throughout your body expand and contract based on changes in blood volume. Fitbit’s PPG optical heart-rate sensor can detect these volume changes right from your wrist. These measurements determine your heart rhythm, which the detection algorithm then analyzes for irregularities and potential signs of atrial fibrillation.”
For now, the feature is only coming to the United States and it wasn’t mentioned whether it will arrive in other markets later on. It will likely need to be approved by agencies in each country before it can be made available so it could take a while to arrive elsewhere.
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