Scott Ceresnak, MD, cardiac electrophysiologist, director, of the Pediatric Electrophysiology Program, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, Palo Alto, California, joined Contemporary Pediatrics to highlight the study "Utility of smart watches for identifying arrhythmias in children," published in Communications Medicine and discussed what is exciting about the future of pediatric cardiology.

Ceresnak explains wearable technology has made an impact in cardiology, with features that are designed for adults potentially having positive impacts in the pediatric space.

Ceresnak also explains research regarding artificial intelligence (AI) is underway in an attempt to determine if machines can interpret echocardiograms.

"I think there's really a tremendous excitement about the next year or the next few years for pediatric cardiology," Ceresnak said.

The retrospective study involving arrhythmias and wearable technology included an analysis of patients aged 18 years or younger with signs of arrhythmia documented by an Apple Watch.

"What we noticed in our clinics is that a lot of our kids were coming in using their smart watches, and had arrhythmias detected on their watches," Ceresnak said.

Ceresnak and colleagues reviewed medical records to see how many times the phrase "Apple Watch."

Arrhythmia detection occurred "either high heart rate detection via the sensor on the watch, or they used the watch as a recording tool to capture an EKG during an episode of palpitations or during symptoms."

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Reference:

Zahedivash, A., Chubb, H., Giacone, H. et al. Utility of smart watches for identifying arrhythmias in children. Commun Med 3, 167 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-023-00392-9