Atrial fibrillation often goes undetected because it is paroxysmal and frequently asymptomatic, despite being a major cause of stroke. To improve early detection, Dutch researchers evaluated whether smartwatch-based screening using Apple Watch photoplethysmography (PPG) and single-lead ECG could identify new-onset AF more effectively than standard care in 437 patients aged 65 years or older with elevated stroke risk. Over six months, new-onset AF was detected in 9.6% of patients in the smartwatch group compared with 2.3% in the control group, corresponding to a hazard ratio of 4.40.
Several asymptomatic AF episodes were identified only through smartwatch monitoring, while paroxysmal AF was observed in both groups. These findings suggest that smartwatch-based screening using PPG and ECG may substantially enhance the detection of new-onset AF compared with standard care in patients at…
