Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE NEW IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Digital Health
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • Special Reports
    • Innovations
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Awards
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
    • Women in Healthcare
    • - Luminaries
    • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
    • - Leaders to Watch
    • - Luminaries
    • - Top 25 Women Leaders
    • - Women to Watch
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
    • Transformation Summit
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Strategic Marketing
    • - Virtual Health
  • Listen
    • Podcast - Next Up
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Transformation Hub

Where healthcare challenges find solutions

  • Patients
  • Operations
  • Care Delivery
  • Payment
Patients
April 11, 2022 12:20 PM

Fitbit gets another FDA clearance for atrial fibrillation detection

Jessica Kim Cohen
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    fitbit2_i_i.jpg
    AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

    The Food and Drug Administration cleared a second Fitbit feature that detects atrial fibrillation, the activity tracker and wearables brand said Monday.

    The new algorithm passively monitors wearers' heart rate data in the background to identify signs of AFib, a type of irregular heart rhythm. In 2020, the FDA cleared Fitbit's electrocardiogram app that screens for signs of AFib when requested by a wearer, which the company calls a "spot check."

    Fitbit, which is owned by Google, will make the new AFib detection feature available to U.S. customers "soon," according to a company blog post.

    AFib detection has been a popular area of focus for activity trackers, which have traditionally targeted the direct-to-consumer wellness market. Apple in 2018 scored FDA clearance for an ECG app in its Apple Watch, becoming the first major consumer wearables company to do so. Since then, competitors like Samsung and Withings have also added the capability.

    AFib, a condition the American Heart Association said at least 2.7 million Americans live with, increases risk of heart complications like stroke and heart failure.

    But while wearables companies have promoted their devices as tools to increase early AFib detection, some physicians have raised concerns that constant screening among healthy patients could prompt unneeded medical visits. One recent study suggested most patients who use the Apple Watch wouldn't qualify for a medication prescribed to AFib patients, even if the condition was flagged.

    Fitbit's team on Monday said integrating AFib detection tools into its consumer wearables can help identify the condition in patients who don't have other symptoms. When the algorithm detects signs suggestive of AFib, it notifies the wearer of the irregular heart rhythm and prompts users to talk with a healthcare provider about further assessments.

    "Unfortunately, AFib can be difficult to detect as there are often no symptoms and episodes can come and go," the Fitbit team wrote in the company blog post. The team said it will work with Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer Alliance, which develops education materials about AFib and venous thromboembolism, to create resources for patients and providers.

    The new algorithm uses photoplethysmography, a technique that detects changes in a wearer's blood volume, to screen for AFib during periods of inactivity, such as while users are asleep.

    Fitbit validated the algorithm through a study it conducted in 2020 with researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital.

    The study found that Fitbit's algorithm accurately identified undiagnosed AFib 98% of the time, according to findings presented at an American Heart Association conference last year. Just 1% of the more than 455,000 participants who enrolled in the study had an irregular heart rhythm detected.

    Tags: Patients, This Week in Healthcare, Information Technology, Medical Technology, Digital Health, Fitbit company, Google company, Transformation, Transformation Hub
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    long covid.png
    Most with long COVID were never hospitalized, study finds
    GettyImages-614627558_WEB.jpg
    Financial training linked to health improvement, study finds
    Sponsored Content
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Digital Health
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Nominate/Eligibility
      • 100 Most Influential People
      • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
      • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
      • Excellence in Governance
      • Health Care Hall of Fame
      • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
      • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
      • Top 25 Innovators
      • Diversity in Healthcare
        • - Luminaries
        • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
        • - Leaders to Watch
      • Women in Healthcare
        • - Luminaries
        • - Top 25 Women Leaders
        • - Women to Watch
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Transformation Summit
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Leadership Symposium
      • Galas
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Strategic Marketing
        • - Virtual Health
      • Webinars
      • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
    • Listen
      • Podcast - Next Up
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing