Smartphone screening doubled Afib detection
The two-stage study compared app-based smartphone with conventional screening and found digital exams superior at detecting atrial fibrillation.
The eHealth-based Bavarian Alternative Detection of Atrial Fibrillation (eBRAVE-AF) trial asked older adult members of one German health insurer to use a smartphone app that measured pulse irregularities using the phone’s camera button and then wear a 14-day electrocardiogram patch in order to engage at-risk patients to seek a doctor’s treatment.
WHY IT MATTERS
Afib is the most common heart rhythm disorder and is often hard to diagnose due to a lack of symptoms.
While previous studies tested the potential of smart devices for large-scale Afib screening, they made no comparison with conventional screening – symptom evaluation, ECGs and other methods – according to the European Society of Cardiology announcement.
The eBRAVE-AF researchers invited adults…
Andrea Fox
