Smart watches for medical diagnostics
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As the chief anaesthesiologist at CHUV University Hospital, Patrick Schoettker is all too aware of the complications which can follow a lengthy operation under general anaesthetic.
Rapid blood loss from the surgical site can send the patient into shock, triggering sudden and dangerous dips in blood flow through the body. But patients can also develop severe lung problems after many hours of deep sedation, a complication which accounts for a quarter of all deaths within the first six days of surgery.
Such tragedies sometimes occur due to underlying frailties in the patient's physiology which had gone undetected. But what if hospitals had a quick, low-cost way of screening for them ahead of major procedures?
Schoettker and his colleagues are conducting a trial which involves fitting patients with a smartwatch known as the Masimo W1 several weeks ahead of their pre-operation consultation. The data it has collected is then used to form an assessment of their state of health..
Other uses, including diagnosing neurological problems:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241025-the-smartwatches-that-can-predict-parkinsons-disease
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Interesting. Mr. AM uses an app on his Apple Watch to monitor Parkinson’s tremor. It appears to be pretty accurate. He had noticed an uptick, and it was confirmed by his watch. (He’s doing more exercise, so most likely metabolizing his meds faster. Easy to adjust.)
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When my mom was being awakened by her Apple Watch saying she was in AFib, she mentioned it to her doctor and he asked her for the file. They hadn’t caught anything unusual on her stress test so the fact that the Watch had recorded several instances prompted the doctor to look into it further.
I use mine to record rapid heart rate when I have an episode of SVT. I’ve had SVT for so long I have a hard time accurately saying how frequent episodes actually are so this has really helped me keep track!
