Heart rate and physical activity monitoring using consumer wearable devices has been shown to be of clinical value in comparing the response to two treatments for atrial fibrillation and heart failure.
This study Nature Medicine We investigated whether commercially available fitness trackers and smartphones could continuously monitor responses to medication and provide similar clinical information as face-to-face evaluation in a clinic.
The wearable device, consisting of a wristband connected to a smartphone, collected a huge amount of data on people’s responses to two different drugs prescribed as part of a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded clinical trial called RATE-AF.
Led by Cards researchersartificial intelligenceWorking with the University of Birmingham’s c Group, the team used artificial intelligence to analyze more than 140 million data points on heart rate in 53 people over a 20-week period. They found that digoxin and beta-blockers had similar effects on heart rate, even when accounting for differences in physical activity. This contrasts with previous studies, which only evaluated the short-term effects of digoxin.
To avoid taking an overly optimistic view of the wearable data stream, a neural network was developed that took missing information into account. Using this approach, the team found that the wearable was comparable to standard tests often used in hospitals and clinical trials that require staff time and resources. The average age of study participants was 76, highlighting the potential future value of the study, regardless of age or experience with technology.
“Around the world, an increasing number of people are using wearable devices to monitor their activity and health in their daily lives. This study demonstrates the potential for this new technology to be used to assess response to treatment and contribute positively to the everyday care of patients.”
“Heart diseases such as atrial fibrillation and heart failure are expected to double in prevalence over the next few decades, resulting in a huge burden for patients as well as a significant increase in healthcare costs. This work is an exciting example of how artificial intelligence can support new ways to improve patient care.”
Professor Deepak Kotecha from the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and lead author of the study
The study was funded by the European Union’s Innovative Medicines Initiative as part of the BigData@Heart consortium. The RATE-AF trial was funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
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Journal References:
Gill, S.K. others(2024). A consumer-directed wearable device to evaluate heart rate control with digoxin and beta-blockers: the RATE-AF randomized trial. Nature Medicine. doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03094-4.