About Careers MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

New Insights into Wrist-worn Heart Rate Monitors

by Sheela Philomena on October 12, 2016 at 11:25 PM
Font : A-A+

New Insights into Wrist-worn Heart Rate Monitors

New study assessed the accuracy of 4 popular wrist-worn heart rate monitors under conditions of varying physical exertion. The study published online by JAMA Cardiology conducted by Marc Gillinov, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues.

Wrist-worn fitness and heart rate (HR) monitors are popular. While the accuracy of chest strap, electrode-based HR monitors has been confirmed, the accuracy of wrist-worn, optically based HR monitors is uncertain.

Advertisement


This study included 50 healthy adults; average age, 37 years; 28 participants were women. Participants wore standard electrocardiographic limb leads and a Polar H7 chest strap monitor. Each participant was randomly assigned to wear 2 different wrist-worn HR monitors. Four wrist-worn monitors were assessed: Fitbit Charge HR (Fitbit), Apple Watch (Apple), Mio Alpha (Mio Global), and Basis Peak (Basis). Heart rate was assessed with the participant on a treadmill at rest and at 2,3,4,5 and 6 mph. Participants exercised at each setting for 3 minutes to achieve a steady state; HR was recorded instantaneously at the 3-minute point. After completion of the treadmill protocol, HR was recorded at 30, 60, and 90 seconds' recovery. Across all devices, 1,773 HR values were recorded. When compared with electrocardiogram, the HR monitors had variable accuracy. While the Basis Peak overestimated HR during moderate exercise, the Fitbit Charge HR underestimated HR during more vigorous exercise. Analysis showed that variability occurred across the spectrum of midrange HRs during exercise. The Apple Watch and Mio Fuse had 95 percent of differences fall within -27 beats per minute (bpm) and +29 bpm of the electrocardiogram, while Fitbit Charge HR had 95 percent of values within -34 bpm and +39 bpm and the corresponding values for the Basis Peak were within -39 bpm and +33 bpm.

"We found variable accuracy among wrist-worn HR monitors; none achieved the accuracy of a chest strap-based monitor. In general, accuracy of wrist-worn monitors was best at rest and diminished with exercise," the authors write.
Advertisement

"Electrode-containing chest monitors should be used when accurate HR measurement is imperative. While wrist-worn HR monitors are often used recreationally to track fitness, their accuracy varies; 2 of 4 monitors had suboptimal accuracy during moderate exercise. Because cardiac patients increasingly rely on these monitors to stay within physician-recommended, safe HR thresholds during rehabilitation and exercise, appropriate validation of these devices in this group is imperative."Source: Eurekalert
Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Recommended Reading

Latest Medical Gadgets

Tiny Video Capsule: A New Hope for Endoscopy
The magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy shows promising results in treating issues related to stomach.
Affordable Smartphone Attachment Enables Convenient Blood Pressure Monitoring
Scientists have developed an affordable, user-friendly clip that utilizes a smartphone's camera and flash to measure blood pressure at the user's fingertip.
 Developing Wireless Patch System to Detect Sleep Apnea at Home
Recent progress in the development of wearable devices has presented alternative ways for sleep monitoring at home, which could be useful in sleep apnea detection.
Non-Invasive Brain Imaging: A Tool to Help Paralysis Patients
Researchers develop non-invasive brain imaging techniques to help people with disabilities.
 Apple Watch New Feature Helps US Women to Get Medical Help
Heart rate notifications and the ECG app on Apple Watch give patients and their clinicians' important information about their heart health.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

New Insights into Wrist-worn Heart Rate Monitors Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests