Did you know that heart-disease is the second-leading cause of death in Canada? Heart failure is a condition where the heart does not pump enough blood to support the body. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, heart failure consistently ranks among the top five causes of hospitalization nationwide. This also makes it one of the costliest reasons for hospital admission in Canada.

Historically, clinicians have relied on in-person appointments to gather patient data for treating heart failure. This means that they only get a snapshot of a patient’s health and might miss changing symptoms or early warning signs of heart failure that occur between visits.

Recently, a study led by researchers at University Health Network and the University of Toronto showed that data from a smartwatch can detect signs of worsening heart failure days to weeks before unplanned medical care is needed. They found that the smartwatch-based fitness data readings and estimates closely matched results from formal clinical exercise testing completed in hospital at the beginning and end of the study.

While the findings from the study may be new, who knows? Maybe in the future, our smartwatches will play a bigger role in helping to prevent sudden hospitalization.

By Steve Bond, BSc. Phm.