Smartphone and wearable detected atrial arrhythmias in Older Adults: Results of a fully digital European Case finding study

The fully remote, investigator-initiated Smartphone and Corsano Health’s CardioWatch 287 wearable detected atrial arrhythmia in Older Adults Case finding study (Smart in OAC—AFNET 9) digitally enrolled participants ≥65 years without known atrial fibrillation, not receiving oral anticoagulation in Germany, Poland, and Spain for 8 weeks. Participants were invited by media communications and direct contacts. Study procedures adhered to European data protection. Consenting participants received a wristband with a photoplethysmography sensor to be coupled to their smartphone. The primary outcome was the detection of atrial arrhythmias lasting 6 min or longer in the first 4 weeks of monitoring.

Conclusion: Remote, digitally supported consumer-electronics-based screening is feasible in older European adults and identifies atrial arrhythmias in 5% of participants within 4 weeks of monitoring.

L Fabritz 1,2,3,4,5 *, DL Connolly 4,6, E Czarnecki 5, D Dudek 7,8, E Guasch 9,10,11, D Haase 5, T Huebner 12, A Zlahoda-Huzior 13, K Jolly 14, P Kirchhof 2,3,4,5, J Obergassel 1,2,3, U Schotten 5,15, E Vettorazzi 16, SJ Winkelmann 1,2, A Zapf 16, and RB Schnabel 2,3,5

  1. University Center of Cardiovascular Science, University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
  2. Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg, Martinistr. 52, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
  3. DZHK German Center for Cardiovascular Research,
    partner site Hamburg/Luebeck/Kiel, Germany
  4. Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Wolfson Drive, B15 2TT Birmingham, UK
  5. Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET), Mendelstr 11, 48149 Münster, Germany
  6. Department of Cardiology and R&D, Birmingham City Hospital, Sandwell and West Birmingham Trust, Dudley Road, B18 7QH Birmingham, UK
  7. Jagiellonian University Medical College, Center for Digital Medicine and Robotics, Ul. Kopernika 7E, 33-332 Kraków, Poland
  8. Maria Cecilia Hospital, Via Corriera, 1, 48033 Cotignola RA, Italy
  9. Institut Clínic Cardio-Vascular, Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Carrer de Villaroel, 170, 08036 Barcelona, CA, Spain, Spain
  10. IDIBAPS, Rosselló 149-153, 08036 Barcelona, CA, Spain
  11. CIBERCV, Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellon 11, Planta 0, 28029 Madrid, Spain
  12. Preventicus GmbH, Ernst-Abbe-Straße 15, 07743
    Jena, Germany
  13. Department of Measurement and Electronics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
  14. Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT Birmingham, UK
  15. Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical
    Center +, Debyelaan 25, 6229 HX, Maastricht, The Netherlands
  16. Institute of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, ChristophProbst-Weg 1, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

European Heart Journal - Digital Health, Volume 3, Issue 4, December 2022, Pages 610-625, https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjdh/ztac067