JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Abnormal prolongation or shortening of the QT interval is associated with increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. For continuous monitoring, widespread use, and prevention of cardiac events, advanced wearable technologies are emerging as promising surrogates for conventional 12‑lead ECG QT assessment. Previous studies have shown a good agreement between QT/QTc measured on a Smartwatch ECG and a 12 lead ECG, but the clinical accuracy of computerized algorithms for QT and QTc measurement from smartwatch ECGs is unclear.

Objective:

The prospective observational study compared the smartwatch recorded QT and QTc assessed using AccurKardia’s AccurBeat Platform (the “Platform”) with the conventional 12‑lead ECG annotated manually by a cardiologist.

Methods:

ECGs were collected from healthy volunteers (without any known cardiovascular disease) age > 22 years. Agreement between QT and QTc measurements (taken on 12-lead ECGs and annotated manually and taken on smartwatch and assessed by the Platform) were assessed using the Bland-Altman method.

Results:

50 participants (34 women, mean age 46 ± 1 years) were included in the study. More than 94% of the average QT measurements between the automated solution and QT from 12-Lead ECG lay within the 95% confidence interval of the average difference between the two measurements.

Conclusions:

QT and QTc intervals obtained by smartwatch coupled with the Platform’s assessment are comparable to those from a 12 lead ECG. Accordingly, with further refinements, remote monitoring using this technology holds great promise for the identification of QT prolongation.