The company Fitbit, now owned by Google, has just announced that it has just obtained FDA approval to implement irregular heartbeat detection in its smart devices.
This feature called atrial fibrillation (AF) is a type of arrhythmia that occurs when the heart beats irregularly. This is a common arrhythmia in which the atria of the heart do not beat in sync with the ventricles.
Currently, the latest models of apple watch They already support this feature so the watch can occasionally check the wearer’s heartbeat to identify a sign of atrial fibrillation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2% of the population under the age of 65 has some type of irregular heartbeat, while in the case of people over the age of 65, the percentage rises to 9%. .
Episodes of atrial fibrillation can be prevented by exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and treating other conditions that can make the condition worse.
Which Fitbit devices will support the new irregular heartbeat feature?
It seems clear that the new irregular heart rate detection function will be adopted by models of bracelets and smartwatches that currently have the sensor and which, in one way or another, already offer this information.
Thus, watch users Fitbit Senselike those of the bracelet Fitbit Charge 5 AFib detection is now available as part of the devices native ECG app experience.
However, so far this has been a manual process where the user has to initiate the measurement, so that the device does not record values in the background or at any time of day and night. night, so detection is not that advanced.
With US FDA approval, passive history monitoring will be permitted, increasing the chance of successful detection when the person is still or asleep.
According to Fitbit, AFib (atrial fibrillation) can increase the risk of blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks. Adults over 40 have a 1 in 4 lifetime risk of developing atrial fibrillation.
Although Fitbit does not market its products with this new medical-grade feature, such notifications could prompt someone to see their doctor, or get checked out to verify the situation and avoid something more serious.
Official information provided by Fitbit has yet to confirm which models will officially support the new feature, but it is expected that all of these devices currently have the sensor and offer the feature manually.
When will it be available for compatible Fitbit devices?
As far as we know, the update should be rolling out to US users soon (sometime in May) and will be compatible with a wide variety of models that currently have the heart rate feature.
Subsequently, it is very likely that Fitbit will extend it to other countries by updating the firmware of its devices, as has happened on other occasions.
What other devices support the atrial fibrillation feature?
We mentioned earlier that Apple Watch customers have access to two optional features capable of detecting irregular heart rates. For one, there’s the Irregular Rhythm Notification feature (available on the Apple Watch Series 1 and later).
However, the ECG app came later and relies on the watch’s electrical heart rate sensor to generate an ECG or electrocardiogram similar to that of an advanced medical system. It is something that is available in models Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, Series 6, Series 7).
Check out our buying guide best apple watch where you can find the differences between all models.
For its part, Samsung also introduced it for the first time in its watches. Galaxy Watch Active 2, offering it as part of the device’s feature set. You might also be interested in our special offer the best smartwatches of the year
We’ll update this article as we learn more about Fitbit. In the meantime, you can consult our special classification of which Fitbit wristband or watch is best for youwhere you will find recommendations and purchase advice for each of them.