Google’s Fitbit has announced its upcoming releases this fall, with one health-focused offering providing heart health tracking capabilities.
According to a blog post presenting the new offerings, the new Inspire 3, Versa 4 and Sense 2 — the latter of which being the heart health tracker — are all thinner and more comfortable than previous versions, offering all-day wearability and no need to charge the devices every day.
The Fitbit Sense 2 marks the company’s “most advanced health-focused smartwatch,” according to the post. It features more than six days of battery life to help users manage stress and track heart health through sensors that can detect signs of AFib, among other things.
The device marks Fitbit’s bid to better compete against the heart monitoring tech on the Apple Watch, which is FDA-cleared for irregular heart rhythm detection and notification.
Fitbit said that through its ECG app and PPG algorithm — both of which are FDA-cleared and CE-marked — the Fitbit Sense 2 detects signs of AFib, heart rate variability, skin temperature and more. It also features the new Body Response sensor that measures cEDA for all-day stress management.
Among the features are irregular heart rhythm notifications that use the PPG sensor to assess heart rhythm for signs of AFib in users 22 years of age or older with no known history of irregular heart rhythm. It’s compatible with Fitbit’s range of heart-rate-enabled devices.
The Fitbit devices provide information about the body like resting heart rate, oxygen saturation (SpO2), sleep trends, and the body’s responses to stressors to help users better understand how to manage their holistic health.
Upping the game on AFib detection
AFib detection matters because the condition affects nearly 33.5 million people across the world, according to the National Institutes of Health. Patients also often don’t have visible symptoms of the heart condition. AFib usually isn’t life-threatening on its own, but it’s still serious because proper treatment is needed in order to prevent a stroke, according to Mayo Clinic.
A host of companies have been developing and selling sophisticated AFib detectors. They seek to supplant the traditional, bulky Holter monitors that doctoers have sent home on their patients when suspecting and AFib case. Companies in the space include iRhythm, AliveCor, and Baxter’s BardyDx.