Irregular heart rhythm notification arrives on Samsung smartwatches in India

South Korean company Samsung on Wednesday announced the rollout of irregular heart rhythm notification (IHRN) feature on its health monitor app for Galaxy watches in India.

According to the company, the new feature, combined with the app’s existing blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring capabilities, helps detect heart rhythms suggestive of atrial fibrillation (AFib), offering Galaxy watch users a more comprehensive understanding of their heart health.

Once activated, the feature continuously checks for irregular heart rhythms in the background using the ‘BioActive Sensor’. If a certain number of consecutive measurements are irregular, the smartwatch warns the user of potential AFib activity, prompting them to take an ECG using their watch for a more accurate measurement.

“With the existing blood pressure and heart rate monitoring, this new feature provides users with even deeper insights into their cardiovascular health,” said the company.

AFib is a type of arrhythmia, widely considered a warning sign for major cardiovascular issues including an increased risk of stroke, heart failure and other complications.

Moreover, many cases of AFib are asymptomatic or even silent, leaving people unaware of their risk.

The company said that the irregular heart rhythm notification feature is now available as part of the newly-launched Galaxy Watch7 Ultra, Galaxy Watch7 as well as on Galaxy Watch6, Watch5 and Watch4 series.

A recent study said that work-related stress, particularly high job strain and effort-reward imbalance, may significantly increase the risk of developing AFib. The study, published in the ‘Journal of the American Heart Association’, included nearly 6,000 white-collar workers in Canada.

It found that those experiencing both high job strain and effort-reward imbalance faced 97 per cent increased risk of AFib compared to those not exposed to these stressors.

Previous studies have linked work-related stress with coronary heart disease, but this is the first to examine its impact on AFib, said senior author Xavier Trudel, from Laval University in Quebec, Canada.

(With inputs from IANS)