Monitoring of heart rate and physical activity using consumer wearable devices was found to have clinical value for comparing the response to two treatments for atrial fibrillation and heart failure, the findings of a study published in Nature Medicine have shown.
The study, an offshoot of the RATE-AF trial, examined if a commercially-available fitness tracker and smartphone could continuously monitor the response to medications—digoxin and beta blockers—and provide clinical information similar to in-person hospital assessment. The wearable devices, consisting of a wrist band and connected smartphone, collected a vast amount of data on the response to the two different medications.
Led by researchers from the cardAIc group at the University of Birmingham, the team used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse over 140 million datapoints for heart rate in 53 individuals over 20 weeks. They found that digoxin and beta-blockers had a similar effect on heart rate, even after accounting for differences in physical activity. This was in contrast to previous studies that had only assessed the short-term impact of digoxin.
A neural network that took account of missing information was developed to avoid an over-optimistic view of the wearable datastream. Using this approach, the team found that the wearables were equivalent to standard tests often used in hospitals and clinical trials that require staff time and resources. The average age of participants in the study was 76 years, highlighting possible future value regardless of age or experience with technology, the researchers said.
Dipak Kotecha from the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Birmingham (Birmingham, UK), the lead author of the study, said: “People across the world are increasingly using wearable devices in their daily lives to help monitor their activity and health status. This study shows the potential to use this new technology to assess the response to treatment and make a positive contribution to the routine care of patients.
“Heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation and heart failure are expected to double in prevalence over the next few decades, leading to a large burden on patients as well as substantial healthcare cost. This study is an exciting showcase for how artificial intelligence can support new ways to help treat patients better.”
