One of the scariest things about fainting is that your body gives little warning before it happens and the fall that happens can result in injuries that are far more serious than the quick loss of consciousness itself.
There may now be a way to predict when it will occur using a smartwatch.
Samsung has put forth a joint clinical study with Korea’s Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital that the Galaxy Watch 6, with an attached photoplethysmography sensor and running an AI algorithm, can detect when a person is going to faint with 84.6% accuracy up to five minutes before fainting.
The study was published in Volume 7, Issue 4 of “European Heart Journal – Digital Health.” It was conducted on 132 patients with suspected vasovagal syncope symptoms (when a person’s heart rate and blood pressure drop precipitously, leading to fainting).
“Up to 40% of people experience vasovagal syncope over their lifetime, with one-third experiencing recurrent episodes,” said Professor Junhwan Cho of the Department of Cardiology at Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in a statement. “An early warning could give patients advance time to get into a safe position or call for help, which would dramatically reduce the incidence of secondary injuries.”
Samsung has added health features iteratively over the life of the Galaxy Watch, with the Galaxy Watch 8 measuring antioxidant levels in skin, vascular load, heart rate, blood pressure, and sleep.
But don’t expect a fainting-detection feature in the very next Galaxy Watch, as Samsung hasn’t confirmed its development.
Though, in a statement, Jongmin Choi, head of the Health R&D Group, Mobile eXperience Business of Samsung Electronics said: “This study is an example of how wearable technology can help shift healthcare from being designed for ‘post-care’ to a model of ‘preventive care.’ We are committed to driving technological innovation that empowers our users to lead healthier everyday lives.”
