MSGID: 1:317/3 642ba7f1   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Smart watches could predict higher risk of heart failure    
      
     Date:   
         April 3, 2023   
     Source:   
         University College London   
     Summary:   
         A study looked at data from 83,000 people who had undergone a   
         15-second electrocardiogram (ECG) comparable to the kind carried out   
         using smart watches and phone devices. The researchers identified   
         ECG recordings containing extra heart beats which are usually benign   
         but, if they occur frequently, are linked to conditions such as   
         heart failure and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats). They found   
         that people with an extra beat in this short recording (one in 25   
         of the total) had a twofold risk of developing heart failure or an   
         irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) over the next 10 years.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Wearable devices such as smart watches could be used to detect a higher   
   risk of developing heart failure and irregular heart rhythms in later   
   life, suggests a new study led by UCL researchers.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   The peer-reviewed study, published in The European Heart Journal --   
   Digital Health, looked at data from 83,000 people who had undergone a   
   15-second electrocardiogram (ECG) comparable to the kind carried out   
   using smart watches and phone devices.   
      
   The researchers identified ECG recordings containing extra heart beats   
   which are usually benign but, if they occur frequently, are linked to   
   conditions such as heart failure and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats).   
      
   They found that people with an extra beat in this short recording (one   
   in 25 of the total) had a twofold risk of developing heart failure or   
   an irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) over the next 10 years.   
      
   The ECG recordings analysed were from people aged 50 to 70 who had no   
   known cardiovascular disease at the time.   
      
   Heart failure is a situation where the heart pump is weakened. It cannot   
   often be treated. Atrial fibrillation happens when abnormal electrical   
   impulses suddenly start firing in the top chambers of the heart (atria)   
   causing an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. It can be   
   life-limiting, causing problems including dizziness, shortness of breath   
   and tiredness, and is linked to a fivefold increased risk in stroke.   
      
   Lead author Dr Michele Orini (UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science)   
   said: "Our study suggests that ECGs from consumer-grade wearable devices   
   may help with detecting and preventing future heart disease.   
      
   "The next step is to investigate how screening people using wearables   
   might best work in practice.   
      
   "Such screening could potentially be combined with the use of artificial   
   intelligence and other computer tools to quickly identify the ECGs   
   indicating higher risk, as we did in our study, leading to a more accurate   
   assessment of risk in the population and helping to reduce the burden of   
   these diseases."  Senior author Professor Pier D. Lambiase (UCL Institute   
   of Cardiovascular Science and Barts Heart Centre, Barts NHS Health   
   Trust) said: "Being able to identify people at risk of heart failure   
   and arrhythmia at an early stage would mean we could assess higher-risk   
   cases more effectively and help to prevent cases by starting treatment   
   early and providing lifestyle advice about the importance of regular,   
   moderate exercise and diet."  In an ECG, sensors attached to the skin are   
   used to detect the electrical signals produced by the heart each time it   
   beats. In clinical settings, at least 10 sensors are placed around the   
   body and the recordings are looked at by a specialist doctor to see if   
   there are signs of a possible problem. Consumer- grade wearable devices   
   rely on two sensors (single-lead) embedded in a single device and are   
   less cumbersome as a result but may be less accurate.   
      
   For the new paper, the research team used machine learning and an   
   automated computer tool to identify recordings with extra beats. These   
   extra beats were classed as either premature ventricular contractions   
   (PVCs), coming from the lower chambers of the heart, or premature atrial   
   contractions (PACs), coming from the upper chambers.   
      
   The recordings identified as having extra beats, and some recordings   
   that were not judged to have extra beats, were then reviewed by two   
   experts to ensure the classification was correct.   
      
   The researchers first looked at data from 54,016 participants of the UK   
   Biobank project with a median age of 58, whose health was tracked for an   
   average of 11.5 years after their ECG was recorded. They then looked at   
   a second group of 29,324 participants, with a median age of 64, who were   
   followed up for 3.5 years.   
      
   After adjusting for potentially confounding factors such as age and   
   medication use, the researchers found that an extra beat coming from   
   the lower chambers of the heart was linked to a twofold increase in   
   later heart failure, while an extra beat from the top chambers (atria)   
   was linked to a twofold increase in cases of atrial fibrillation.   
      
   The study involved researchers at UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science,   
   the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, Barts Heart Centre   
   (Barts Health NHS Trust) and Queen Mary University of London. It   
   was supported by the Medical Research Council and the British Heart   
   Foundation, as well as the NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Heart_Disease # Stroke_Prevention # Vioxx # Cholesterol   
             o Computers_&_Math   
                   # Mobile_Computing # Computers_and_Internet #   
                   Computer_Science # Information_Technology   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Defibrillation o Heart_rate o Electrocardiogram o   
             Heart_failure o Artificial_heart o Coronary_heart_disease o   
             Ischaemic_heart_disease o CPR   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by University_College_London. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Michele Orini, Stefan van Duijvenboden, William J Young, Julia   
      Rami'rez,   
         Aled R Jones, Andrew Tinker, Patricia B Munroe, Pier D Lambiase.   
      
         Premature atrial and ventricular contractions detected on   
         wearable-format electrocardiograms and prediction of cardiovascular   
         events. European Heart Journal - Digital Health, 2023; 4 (2):   
         112 DOI: 10.1093/ehjdh/ ztad007   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230403133452.htm   
      
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