Fitbit Gets FDA Approval for New AFib Detection Algorithm
Fitbit has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for an algorithm that can identify atrial fibrillation (AFib).
"Our new PPG AFib algorithm can passively assess your heart rhythm in the background while you’re still or asleep. If there’s anything that might be suggestive of AFib, you’ll be notified through our Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications feature," Fitbit says in a blog post.
Fitbit already offers an ECG app, but that requires people to proactively screen themselves for possible AFib. Fitbit’s new photoplethysmography (PPG) optical heart-rate sensor, on the other hand, works continuously to potentially "identify asymptomatic AFib that could otherwise go undetected," Fitbit says.
"Because AFib can be so sporadic, the optimal way to screen for it is through heart rate tracking technology when the body is still or at rest — making overnight detection when people are asleep especially important," the company adds. "The unique capabilities of Fitbit devices — especially its 24/7 heart rate tracking and long battery life — give it the potential to accelerate identification through long-term heart rhythm assessment."
Fitbit PPG detections correctly identified AFib episodes 98% of the time, the company says.
At present, AFib detection is available on the Fitbit Sense and the more economic Fitbit Charge 5 through the ECG app. The PPG-based features will "soon be available to consumers in the US across a range of heart-rate enabled devices," though Fitbit didn't elaborate.
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