Apple developing heart monitor for smartwatch

Apple Inc. is developing an advanced heart-monitoring feature for future versions of its smartwatch, part of a broader push by the company to turn what was once a luxury fashion accessory into a serious medical device, according to people familiar with the plan.

A version being tested requires users to squeeze the frame of the Apple Watch with two fingers from the hand that’s not wearing the device, one of the people said. It then passes an imperceptible current across the person’s chest to track electrical signals in the heart and detect any abnormalities like irregular heart rates. Such conditions can increase the risk of strokes and heart failure and develop in about one-quarter of people over 40, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These medical tests, known as electrocardiograms or EKGs and ECGs, are common in doctors’ offices, hospitals and ambulances. But they only monitor the heart’s activity for short periods, limiting their ability to spot potential abnormalities. There are wearable versions, too, such as the Holter monitor, but these usually track the heart continuously for a few days at most.

Apple Watch users can already buy an EKG made by AliveCor Inc. that is built into the watch’s strap. The startup’s device and its algorithm have received FDA approval. Portable EKGs from the likes of Medtronic Plc that work with smartphones have been available for several years.

Apple’s current Watch has a more basic heart rate monitor, but the company is increasingly trying to use advanced sensors to predict future afflictions, rather than simply collect historical data about the body. An EKG would make it easier to establish the health of a user’s heart, and potentially spot some cardiac problems early.

Apple announced a research initiative into irregular heart rhythms in November with Stanford Medicine, where Apple’s head of special health projects Michael O’Reilly also serves as a professor of anesthesiology. Participants download an app that uses the Apple Watch’s existing heart rate monitor to identify potential irregularities. The current system uses LEDs and light sensors on the underside of the Watch to track changes in blood flow from the pumping heart. If any abnormalities are spotted, the user is offered a free video consultation with a doctor from telehealth provider American Well Corp. Data from the research may help Apple develop artificial intelligence-based tools that can spot abnormalities more easily and support the EKG project.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle AliveCor just received FDA approval for its Kardia Band EKG-monitoring wristband for the Apple Watch.