Study protocol for The Heart Watch Study - Prognostic performance of smartwatch 12-lead ECG with advanced ECG analysis in consumer self-screening for cardiovascular disease
(2026) In American Heart Journal- Abstract
BACKGROUND: It is now possible to acquire a fully diagnostic standard 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) using a smartwatch, a smartphone app, and no additional hardware. This study aims to evaluate the predictive performance of advanced ECG (A-ECG) analysis applied to a smartwatch 12-lead ECG (SWECG) acquired using an Apple Watch in identifying cardiovascular risks among asymptomatic adults performing consumer self-screening in the general population.
METHODS AND DESIGN: The Heart Watch Study is a prospective, Australia-wide observational cohort study. The study will recruit 30,000 participants aged 20-79 years without prior known cardiovascular disease. Participants will enrol and consent electronically, and download a dedicated... (More)
BACKGROUND: It is now possible to acquire a fully diagnostic standard 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) using a smartwatch, a smartphone app, and no additional hardware. This study aims to evaluate the predictive performance of advanced ECG (A-ECG) analysis applied to a smartwatch 12-lead ECG (SWECG) acquired using an Apple Watch in identifying cardiovascular risks among asymptomatic adults performing consumer self-screening in the general population.
METHODS AND DESIGN: The Heart Watch Study is a prospective, Australia-wide observational cohort study. The study will recruit 30,000 participants aged 20-79 years without prior known cardiovascular disease. Participants will enrol and consent electronically, and download a dedicated study iPhone app that enables a directed 12-lead SWECG acquisition using an Apple Watch. The recordings will undergo both conventional and A-ECG analysis. Follow-up will be performed through linkage with administrative health datasets in Australia, including hospital visits and mortality. The primary combined endpoint is all-cause mortality, hospitalization for cardiovascular causes, and incident cardiovascular disease (arrythmia, ischemic heart disease, heart failure) as predicted by existing A-ECG analyses.
CONCLUSION: This study evaluates the feasibility of performing a fully diagnostic standard 12-lead SWECG using only a smartwatch and a smartphone application, and addresses the prognostic value of A-ECG machine-learning based analysis in consumer self-screening in a large, diverse and apparently healthy population.
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- author
- Al-Falahi, Zaidon S ; Schlegel, Todd T ; Lee, Vivian ; Chow, Clara K ; Kozor, Rebecca ; Lindow, Thomas LU and Ugander, Martin LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-09-29
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- in
- American Heart Journal
- article number
- 107619
- publisher
- Mosby-Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:42805364
- ISSN
- 1097-6744
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ahj.2026.107619
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Copyright © 2026. Published by Elsevier Inc.
- id
- df109441-3e5f-4735-904c-df069f79009b
- date added to LUP
- 2026-09-29 08:40:18
- date last changed
- 2026-09-29 08:45:29
@article{df109441-3e5f-4735-904c-df069f79009b,
abstract = {{<p>BACKGROUND: It is now possible to acquire a fully diagnostic standard 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) using a smartwatch, a smartphone app, and no additional hardware. This study aims to evaluate the predictive performance of advanced ECG (A-ECG) analysis applied to a smartwatch 12-lead ECG (SWECG) acquired using an Apple Watch in identifying cardiovascular risks among asymptomatic adults performing consumer self-screening in the general population.</p><p>METHODS AND DESIGN: The Heart Watch Study is a prospective, Australia-wide observational cohort study. The study will recruit 30,000 participants aged 20-79 years without prior known cardiovascular disease. Participants will enrol and consent electronically, and download a dedicated study iPhone app that enables a directed 12-lead SWECG acquisition using an Apple Watch. The recordings will undergo both conventional and A-ECG analysis. Follow-up will be performed through linkage with administrative health datasets in Australia, including hospital visits and mortality. The primary combined endpoint is all-cause mortality, hospitalization for cardiovascular causes, and incident cardiovascular disease (arrythmia, ischemic heart disease, heart failure) as predicted by existing A-ECG analyses.</p><p>CONCLUSION: This study evaluates the feasibility of performing a fully diagnostic standard 12-lead SWECG using only a smartwatch and a smartphone application, and addresses the prognostic value of A-ECG machine-learning based analysis in consumer self-screening in a large, diverse and apparently healthy population.</p>}},
author = {{Al-Falahi, Zaidon S and Schlegel, Todd T and Lee, Vivian and Chow, Clara K and Kozor, Rebecca and Lindow, Thomas and Ugander, Martin}},
issn = {{1097-6744}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{09}},
publisher = {{Mosby-Elsevier}},
series = {{American Heart Journal}},
title = {{Study protocol for The Heart Watch Study - Prognostic performance of smartwatch 12-lead ECG with advanced ECG analysis in consumer self-screening for cardiovascular disease}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2026.107619}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.ahj.2026.107619}},
year = {{2026}},
}