Fitbit Receives FDA Clearance for New Atrial Fibrillation Detection Feature

Google-owned wearable brand Fitbit announced on Monday that it will soon introduce a new atrial fibrillation detection feature to its devices.

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Google cites data from the Global Disease Study to state that atrial fibrillation affects about 33.5 million people worldwide. Referring to another study, it states that those with atrial fibrillation have a five times higher risk of stroke than others.

While Fitbit devices previously allowed users to initiate an atrial fibrillation test, this new feature will continuously monitor users for signs, greatly increasing the chances of a health event being recognized.

The blog post describes how this feature works:

As your heart beats, tiny blood vessels throughout your body expand and contract in response to changes in blood volume. The Fitbit PPG optical heart rate sensor can detect these volume changes right from your wrist. These measurements determine your heart rate, which the detection algorithm then analyzes for irregularities and potential signs of atrial fibrillation.

It is important to note that Fitbit cannot diagnose heart conditions, but when users are notified that atrial fibrillation is detected, they can contact their doctor for confirmation and medical assistance.

Fitbit isn’t the first company to offer this option. The Apple Watch has introduced a similar feature in recent years. Google has owned Fitbit since its acquisition in 2019 and plans to develop smartwatches that run on Google’s Wear OS operating system. To date, Fibit devices run on the Fitbit OS.

Fitbit hasn’t said exactly when this feature will be rolled out; the company’s blog post simply says it’s coming “soon”to the United States.