Northwestern study tests if wearables can cut AFib patients’ need for blood thinners

CHICAGO - Can wearable technology help patients with an irregular heartbeat and change how they live with it?

Northwestern University is trying to find out — and they may need your help.

What we know:

Angelina Brown knows all too well what it’s like to have an irregular heartbeat.

"The heart condition, AFib, came when I was working out with my trainer and I was doing a step up on a lift, on a platform, with 20 pound weights in my hand. I came down and passed out," Brown said. 

Her atrial fibrillation, or AFib, has required her to take blood thinners for years.

"With the blood thinners, there were limitations on things I couldn't do…," Brown said. "If I went to get my teeth cleaned, I had to tell my dentist that I'm on blood thinners and either stop taking the blood thinners for a couple days and resume. I wanted to get off of them and be able to live a life normally and travel and not be worried that if I cut myself, I would not stop bleeding."

Northwestern Medicine researchers want to talk to thousands of patients like her.

"There's a lot of excitement around this trial. This is the largest trial where we're using consumer grade electronic devices to personalize medical care," said Dr. Rob Passman. 

Passman and his team at Northwestern Medicine's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute want to know if a wearable – like an Apple Watch – can help reduce the need for blood thinners. 

A clinical trial may help some patients avoid lifelong medication.

"We’re looking for patients who are taking a blood thinner today and they may have very infrequent episodes of atrial fibrillation (AFib) either on their own, because they’ve changed their lifestyle, or they’ve been put on medication, or had a procedure like ablation, and now their AFib is gone. Currently, those patients still take blood thinners for the rest of their lives. So we’re offering patients the opportunity to stop their blood thinners in a tightly-controlled setting and see if we can personalize their care instead of treating everyone the same, where everyone takes the same dose of the same blood thinners for the rest of their lives. We’re wondering if there are some patients where we can simply target the therapy only during a high-risk period," said Passman.

The study’s app, used with a smartwatch, will monitor heart activity and notify patients when they’re entering an episode. Only then — and only for a few weeks — will they take blood thinners.

Brown is already on board.

"Being part of the clinical trial is a way for my community and the medical community to have a better understanding of how this works. If it can help someone else to not go through what I've gone through, then it's a blessing," Brown said.

What's next:

Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of heart arrhythmia, affecting more than 5 million people in the U.S. That number is expected to reach 12.1 million by 2030.

The seven-year study, which began in 2023, is a partnership with Johns Hopkins, Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco, with trials at 80 sites nationwide.

So far, 1,300 people have enrolled. Researchers are aiming for more than 5,300 participants before the study ends in 2029.

To participate, patients must have an iPhone but do not need an Apple Watch. More information on eligibility is available here.