Apple Watch is assisting research on cancer treatment, atrial fibrillation and heart rhythm health of firefighters in Europe and the United States | 一哥的科技生活

Do you know what is the normal heart rate for an average healthy adult in a day? The answer is 100,000 times. The frequency of heart beating is actually closely related to health.Apple Watch paired with theApple Watch App, through high and low heart rate notifications, mental fitness level,Arrhythmia notifications and an ECG app to check for heart health conditions like atrial fibrillation (AFib).

The “ECG” app currently supports the electronic heart rate sensor on Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, Series 6, Series 7, Series 8 or Ultra to record your heartbeat and heart rate, just confirmApple Watch wear it snugly on yourApple Watch on the wrist selected in the app.then inApple Watch open onelectrocardiogram“App.thenRest your arms on a table or on your lap.Using your free hand, place your finger on the Digital Crown. After a while, you can know your ECG.

However, the practical application is not limited to this. According to the latest report released by Apple, Apple Watch is checking the health of front-line personnel. To further advance discoveries that improve health at scale, Apple has launched the Investigator Support Program. Through the program, Apple is providing researchers with the Apple Watch device to use the Apple Watch to study the heart in ways never before possible.

Toxicity Study Associated with Childhood Cancer Treatment Using the Apple Watch ECG App

Associate Professor Rachel Conyers and Dr Claudia Toro are senior pediatric oncologists from Melbourne, Australia,Caring for children primarily in a tertiary pediatric oncology clinic and conducting toxicity studies related to childhood cancer treatment at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.Together, they study the effect of therapy on heart rhythm and try to find innovative interventions.It is patients who inspire their research work, including success stories,There are also stories of heartbreak.

Toxicity in cancer treatment leads to various cardiac arrhythmias, such as the potentially life-threatening long QT syndrome. Long QT syndrome causes an irregular heartbeat that prolongs the time it takes for blood to flow through the heart. Because of the predisposition to long QT, children treated for cancer typically have screening 12-lead ECGs at least once a week, Dr. Conyers said. However, outpatients also need a way to monitor heart rate.

“I read the Apple Heart Study and thought it might be important in pediatrics,” Dr. Conyers said.We used to think that cardiotoxicity was something that happened 10 years after treatment. But now we know that new cancer treatments (such as certain inhibitors or immunotherapy) may cause cardiac arrhythmia within 48 hours of taking the drug,Therefore, there is a big gap between our current understanding of toxicity and the actual situation. “

In the coming months, Dr. Conyers and her team at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute will begin studying the sensitivity of the Apple Watch ECG app with 40 children and adolescent patients. The team will use this as a starting point,Find ways to allow patients to measure ECG anytime, anywhere. Through these analyses,The team hopes to better understand the reality of cardiotoxicity and identify potential opportunities for intervention.

Detecting firefighters’ heart rhythm health through Apple Watch

California has experienced multiple devastating wildfires in 2020 and 2021.Dr Cheong, who studies the social and health impacts of environmental disasters and climate change, sees an opportunity,Considered appropriate to study the effects of wildfire smoke on the heart health of individual firefighters.

Through her contacts in the research community, Dr. Cheong learned that the Apple Watch could help her get the health information she needed. She added: “A colleague of mine at Stanford shared his experience with the Apple Watch, which is known for its heart rate accuracy. I’ve always wanted to be able to use sensors to do more non-invasive analysis of individuals,Get more accurate health measurements. “

As many as 200 firefighters will be involved in the study in areas where wildfire season begins in spring in Texas and summer in California. The study plans to monitor heart rate and rhythm, sleep, blood oxygen, activity data, etc. with Apple Watch.Firefighters will also wear air quality monitors and conduct tests on sleep,Activities and symptoms associated with wildfire smoke.

“Firefighters will certainly benefit from this research.We know wildfire smoke can directly affect their health, and through studies like this,They will be able to see the results instantly. “

Dr. Cheong said:“The point of this study was not to prove or disprove a hypothesis. It was more exploratory,The results will help us understand the accuracy of this type of analysis,This creates tailor-made interventions.I also think research of this nature helps us better understand high-risk populations. “

Apple Watch already being used to study atrial fibrillation

According to European epidemiologists, the incidence of atrial fibrillation in the European Union is expected to double by 2060. Atrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm irregularity,If left untreated, it can have serious effects,For example, an increased risk of stroke or heart failure.

At the University Medical Center Amsterdam, Sebastiaan Blok, MD, Director of Smart Healthcare (eHealth) at the Netherlands Center for Cardiology, and his colleagues are exploring ways to detect atrial fibrillation early.The researchers developed a randomized controlled study as part of a larger program toThe program, called HartWacht, is the first reimbursable smart healthcare (eHealth) concept.

In the Netherlands, “approximately 300,000 people are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. But it is estimated that an additional 100,000 people may not know they have the condition because they are asymptomatic,” said study team member Nicole van Steijn, MD.

The study plans to enroll more than 300 patients over the age of 65 who meet atrial fibrillation risk thresholds. Half of the participants (the intervention group) wore the Apple Watch for at least 12 hours a day.

“The Apple Watch is a widely used and reliable consumer wearable device,” said Dr. Blok.We think this device is very suitable for integration into our research,Take this to learn more about how we can integrate it into the larger health system. “

In the research design of the group,Participants are expected to have an EKG every three weeks or when symptoms begin.If a participant receives an arrhythmia notification, the researcher will contact the participant,Walk them through an EKG and share the results. During the three-week study period,Researchers identify one person in the intervention group with atrial fibrillation but no symptomsparticipants.

The study is a start to what researchers hope to learn about the Apple Watch. In the future, they plan to explore various methods toFind out possible opportunities to monitor patients at home using an ECG app, as certain medications may alter heart rhythm.Given that heart failure is a costly disease, they are also thinking about how to use the Apple Watch to monitor heart failure patients at home and identify predictive biomarkers of disease progression.