Blood pressure monitor won't arrive for Apple Watch before 2024 – report
- Reference: 1649830928
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/04/13/blood_pressure_monitoring_wont_arrive/
- Source link:
Early tests show the iGiant's Watch sensor and software technology to determine whether a wearer has high blood pressure or not isn't very reliable, Bloomberg [1]first reported . Apple has been working on this feature for at least four years, though it probably won't ship on any devices soon – not until 2024 or later, it seems.
The blood-pressure tracking isn't very detailed. Unlike proper medical monitors, the Apple Watch feature won't be able to measure systolic and diastolic readings, the two numbers that estimate the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats and rests. Instead, it will reportedly only be able to tell if one's blood pressure seems normal or high enough that users will be prompted to double-check their results using a normal blood pressure monitor or see a doctor for potential hypertension.
[2]
The Register has asked Apple for comment.
Man arrested, accused of trying to track woman using Apple Watch attached to car [3]READ MORE
Another highly anticipated feature is the ability to measure blood glucose levels using non-invasive methods. Standard techniques typically involve pricking the skin to draw blood to test in a glucose meter, though the Apple Watch will not do this. It's not clear when blood glucose monitoring will be available, however.
Other capabilities that are expected to arrive sooner on the Apple Watch include a body-temperature sensor, more detailed breakdowns of irregular heartbeat measurements, and a new low-power mode.
[4]
In other news, the FDA – a US watchdog that among other things regulates medical devices – just approved Fitbit's photoplethysmography algorithm to detect atrial fibrillation, aka fast, erratic heartbeats. Individuals afflicted with the condition are at a higher risk of stroke. The algorithm will allow the Google-owned biz to implement a new feature in its watches and health app that will detect a user's heart rhythm in the background, and alert them if the software detects signs of atrial fibrillation.
A group of 455,699 participants were enrolled in a study to evaluate the algorithm's performance over five months. The results showed the system was able to detect atrial fibrillation correctly about 98 percent of the time.
[5]
"The Fitbit PPG-based algorithm and Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications feature will soon be available to consumers in the US across a range of heart-rate enabled devices." Fitbit [6]confirmed this week. "We want to make AFib detection as accessible as possible to help reduce the risk of potentially life-threatening events — like stroke — and ultimately improve overall heart health for everyone. ®
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[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-12/apple-targets-watch-blood-pressure-feature-for-2024-after-snags?sref=ExbtjcSG
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YlafVFtBHt8vVEMyi3mK8QAAAQU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/29/apple_watch_tracking_allegations/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YlafVFtBHt8vVEMyi3mK8QAAAQU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YlafVFtBHt8vVEMyi3mK8QAAAQU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://blog.google/products/fitbit/irregular-heart-rhythm-notifications/
[7] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
I don't care if it's reliable,
just give me a number. And while you are at it, let me know if it is raining outside.
Well...
As long as they don't use the same method as Theranos...
Re: Well...
I was thinking they'd bought Theranos' intellectual property.
Coming in 2024?
As will a few dozen lawsuits saying that El Fruity stole their patented technology
I wonder how many lawyers all over the world make their entire income from filing suit against Apple?
Any guesses?
Only tangentially related:
I thought of how the Fitbit or Watch can further aid the user... and thought of it directing a passer-by to to the nearest defibrillator (after they've rung for paramedics, of course).
The first site Google shows, heartsafe org uk, doesn't have the first four defibrillators I looked for. Nor does the Google Maps app. The next site Google suggests, https://www.nddb.uk/ , has three out of the four defibrillators I searched for.
Even then, the map showed one defibrillator as being thirty yards away from its true location, on the opposite side of a lane.
Takehome: 1. Google is promoting a useless defibrillator-finding website to the top of its search results.
2. Even the more responsible website could do with some tightening-up of locations.
Re: Only tangentially related:
I'd never though to look but...
Heartsafe I guess mainly display ones they've supplied. It picks up a local company but not the "public" one in the village. NDDB doesn't show either.
Looking at a nearby town Heartsafe shows one but suggests it's inside a store when I know it's outside on the wall, NDDB doesn't show that one at all.
So basically if you don't already know where the defib is located the casualty may well die.
it's not measurements
These devices measure estimate the data via an algorithm based on multiple sensor data. My Fitbit does reasonable estimates but if you go to the Fitbit site and look at all the user reports it's clear that the estimates can be affected by a lot of things, hairy wrists, wet wrists, loose watches etc., etc.
But I look at the data that my Fitbit collects and I'm comfortable with it's estimates and most of the reports but they are not medical reports - it's not a medical device.
Re: it's not measurements
Not a difficult calculation - you've done fewer than 2000 steps per day for the last year. Therefore, you're probably fat, have high blood pressure and at risk of diabetes!
...measure blood glucose levels using non-invasive methods...
An excellent idea; invasive methods are so vague[0] - because they're typically performed once a day, and even in blood sugar measurements, Nyquist will win - that a non-invasive method of instantaneous measurement will probably make a lot of people very happy.
(Though I'd prefer it didn't come with all the baggage of an apple 'watch' but it's likely that the technology will find its way into other devices. And we might hope that unlike HbA1c tests it's not confused if you happen to be missing a spleen).
[0] As in, it's accurate, but only for the time at which it is taken. It gives little or no information as to trends over time. If you want to manage your blood sugar, you really need to be able to sample faster than it changes significantly.