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.
What is 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. You can also activate or deactivate the notifications, still read the information, and find your irregular heartbeat episodes in the Withings App.
Important: If signs of Afib are 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.