Disclaimer: Due to health regulations and clearances, some ScanWatch features may not be available or may not have clinical validation in your region. Learn more.

Important: Irregular heartbeat detection is a distinct feature from the Atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection feature. Scanwatch's atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection technology is designed to detect early signs of AFib in users and is not intended to diagnose such a condition or monitor an already diagnosed heart condition. If you have any questions about a new or existing condition, please consult with your doctor.

What is Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)?

Atrial fibrillation is an arrhythmia, an anomaly of the electrical activity of your heart. It is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is one of the leading causes of stroke, heart failure, and cardiovascular morbidity in the world. Click here for more information about AFib.

How are signs of AFib detected?

ScanWatch can detect signs of AFib when recording an ECG, but it can also check for signs of AFib throughout the day and night.

ScanWatch uses a sensor called PPG (photoplethysmography) that emits green light and measures its reflections on the blood vessels in the wrist. When the blood flows, the reflection of light changes.

An exclusive algorithm analyzes the signal. If your heart rate is atypical (low or high), or if an irregular rhythm is detected, you will receive a notification.

When is AFib detected?

ScanWatch regularly scans your heart, during the day and the night. This feature can be activated or deactivated at will. You can also activate or deactivate the notifications and still access the information regarding irregular heartbeat episodes in the Withings App.

The irregular rhythm notification feature on your ScanWatch will occasionally passively monitor your heartbeat during the day and night to check for an irregular rhythm that might be suggestive of atrial fibrillation (AFib).

If you receive a notification, this indicates that the irregular rhythm notification feature on your ScanWatch has identified an irregular rhythm suggestive of AFib and confirmed it with multiple readings.

If you have not been diagnosed with AFib by a physician, you should talk to your doctor.

Important: If an irregular rhythm episode suggestive of AFib is detected during a sleep period, the alert will only be visible in the app. No notification will be sent on the watch even if those are activated.

What should you do when signs of AFib are detected?

We recommend you to record an ECG when you receive such a notification. If the result is confirmed, you should contact your doctor.

Recording an ECG could help confirm this alert, but as AFib is known to be an intermittent condition, results could differ. Click here for more information. 

Notes:

• The wristband must be tightly worn for the feature to work effectively
• Wearing any band other than silicone, FKM or equivalent can make it more difficult to get conclusive results.