An NIH-funded clinical trial is exploring the potential role of wearables in managing atrial fibrillation (AFib), possibly helping reduce patient reliance on lifelong blood thinners.
This seven-year study, led by Northwestern Medicine, aims to determine whether a “pill-in-pocket” strategy—supported by a dedicated Apple Watch app—can offer similar protection against strokes as continuous anticoagulation.
Currently, many AFib patients are prescribed blood-thinning medications indefinitely to reduce the risk of stroke, a serious complication related to the irregular heart rhythm.
However, this conventional approach doesn’t account for the variability in AFib episodes, with some experiencing them less frequently than others. Instead, the REACT-AF trial will explore more tailored care, leveraging the heart health features of the Apple Watch.
For example, when the watch detects an AFib episode, the patient receives an alert prompting them to start blood-thinning medication. This may last for a few weeks, which is cited as the typical timeframe for increased stroke risk following an episode.
The REACT-AF trial aims to enroll 5,400 participants globally at over 80 study sites. And although it will take a while before any significant findings are published, there is optimism from researchers that the results will show the effectiveness of a more personalized treatment approach.
Apple Watch remains king for studies and trials
It’s another example of the Apple Watch’s ever-present role in independent clinical studies (though it is worth noting that the company provided the devices for this study).
Apple remains committed to pushing the smartwatch in collaborative studies, ensuring it has remained at the forefront of wearable tech’s medical breakthroughs in recent years.
Only last month, the brand’s Heart and Movement Study—which focused on AFib detection using its watch data—concluded its data collection phase after first opening in 2019.
Apple has since announced its most wide-ranging health study yet, partnering with Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital on a five-year project using data to investigate multiple physical and mental well-being areas.
As we say, the findings can take many years to emerge, but we’ll keep our eye out for more examples of the device (and others) playing a key role in trials and such in the meantime.
