The Apple Watch is positioning itself as the best friend to diagnose heart and breathing pathologies. Researchers at the University of San Francisco, in collaboration with the application developers cardiogram They are using Apple Watch sensors to detect sleep apnea and hypertension, due to their high degree of precision. In addition, for the patient, it is much less traumatic to perform the tests with the Apple watch, compared to using sensors all over the body, while you rest for a night. Therefore, a new framework opens for the Apple device in terms of the treatment of these diseases.
In the study at the University of San Francisco, 6115 people participated, who carried an Apple Watch and the application cardiogram. The university used a learning algorithm named com DeepHeart. Like any statistical study, results were obtained from 70% of the sample and the remaining 30% were diagnosed.
Johnson hsieh, co-founder of Cardiogram, explained in an interview to TechCrunch:
We intend that, through the sample obtained from people with hypertension, we can diagnose what they have. From there, the doctor would guide them with the appropriate final diagnosis, through a blood pressure cuff and follow-up treatment.
The first thing researchers did was detect the accuracy of the Apple Watch. The results obtained in relation to sleep apnea, reached 90% precision, compared to more professional and comprehensive systems.
It is estimated that in the United States alone, at least 22 million people suffer from this pathology, which leaves the patient without breathing while they sleep. Therefore, the potential of customers who can have an Apple Watch on their wrist to monitor the quality of sleep, can grow exponentially. Regarding hypertension, it is estimated that the US has more than 70 million citizens who could control these problems with the Apple watch