SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2021
Diagnostic Accuracy of Smartwatches for the Detection of Cardiac Arrhythmia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Diagnostic accuracy of ECG smart chest patches versus PPG smartwatches for atrial fibrillation detection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Keeping Pace with Wearables: A Living Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews Evaluating the Accuracy of Consumer Wearable Technologies in Health Measurement.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Pooled it
- Arrhythmias Beyond Atrial Fibrillation Detection Using Smartwatches: A Systematic Review.Anatolian journal of cardiology · 2023Pooled it
- Development and validation of a machine learning model for diagnosis of ischemic heart disease using single-lead electrocardiogram parameters.World journal of cardiology · 2025Trial
- Perceptions of the use of smartwatches for the early detection of cardiac arrhythmias in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The Association Between Bending Photoplethysmography Waveform Area Index and Congestive Heart Failure.Clinical cardiology · 2026Article
- Can consumer wearables support outpatient health monitoring for patients with post-acute infection syndromes? A systematic umbrella review of accuracy, validity, and clinical utility data.PLOS digital health · 2026Article
- Atrial Fibrillation and Cognitive Decline: A Systematic Review of Pathophysiological Mechanisms, Therapeutic Strategies, and Digital Health Technologies in Neuroprotection.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- The accuracy of Apple Watch measurements: a living systematic review and meta-analysis.NPJ digital medicine · 2026Article
- AI-Driven Real-Time Monitoring of Cardiovascular Conditions With Wearable Devices: Scoping Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Accuracy of Smartwatches in the Detection of Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Diagnostic Meta-Analysis.JACC. Advances · 2025Article
- Review
- Advancing cardiac arrhythmia management: The integration of wearable technology and remote monitoring.World journal of cardiology · 2025Review
- A Survey on the Perceptions of Puerto Rican Cardiologists on the Use of Smartwatches and Implantable Loop Recorders.Cureus · 2025Article
- Accuracy and interpretability of smartwatch electrocardiogram for early detection of atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of arrhythmia · 2025Article
- Wearable Devices for Arrhythmia Detection: Advancements and Clinical Implications.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Ambulatory atrial fibrillation detection and quantification by wristworn AI device compared to standard holter monitoring.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- An Explainable AI Application (AF'fective) to Support Monitoring of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation After Catheter Ablation: Qualitative Focus Group, Design Session, and Interview Study.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
- Comparative Evaluation of Consumer Wearable Devices for Atrial Fibrillation Detection: Validation Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- A guide to consumer-grade wearables in cardiovascular clinical care and population health for non-experts.NPJ cardiovascular health · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSignificant morbidity, mortality, and financial burden are associated with cardiac rhythm abnormalities. Conventional investigative tools are often unsuccessful in detecting cardiac arrhythmias because of their episodic nature. Smartwatches have gained popularity in recent years as a health tool for the detection of cardiac rhythms.
objectiveThis study aims to systematically review and meta-analyze the diagnostic accuracy of smartwatches in the detection of cardiac arrhythmias.
methodsA systematic literature search of the Embase, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases was performed in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines to identify studies reporting the use of a smartwatch for the detection of cardiac arrhythmia. Summary estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve were attempted using a bivariate model for the diagnostic meta-analysis. Studies were examined for quality using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool.
resultsA total of 18 studies examining atrial fibrillation detection, bradyarrhythmias and tachyarrhythmias, and premature contractions were analyzed, measuring diagnostic accuracy in 424,371 subjects in total. The signals analyzed by smartwatches were based on photoplethysmography. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of smartwatches for detecting cardiac arrhythmias were 100% (95% CI 0.99-1.00), 95% (95% CI 0.93-0.97), and 97% (95% CI 0.96-0.99), respectively. The pooled positive predictive value and negative predictive value for detecting cardiac arrhythmias were 85% (95% CI 0.79-0.90) and 100% (95% CI 1.0-1.0), respectively.
conclusionsThis review demonstrates the evolving field of digital disease detection. The current diagnostic accuracy of smartwatch technology for the detection of cardiac arrhythmias is high. Although the innovative drive of digital devices in health care will continue to gain momentum toward screening, the process of accurate evidence accrual and regulatory standards ready to accept their introduction is strongly needed.
trial registrationPROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42020213237; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=213237.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.