How Wearable Devices Can Help Flag Problems with Your Heart

From smartwatches to fitness trackers, wearable technology has become a common accessory for millions of Americans. Today’s wearables sit at the intersection of consumer electronics and digital health, having evolved from simple step counters into sophisticated health monitors.

Experts with Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute say these gadgets are powerful tools for personal health awareness. As the technology and its applications become increasingly advanced, more and more consumers are embracing wearables to track their personal health and fitness.

Wearables Benefit Patients and Physicians

Mario Pascual, M.D., a cardiac electrophysiologist at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, says wearables offer valuable insights for consumers and physicians alike and are changing their respective approaches to healthcare.

Dr. Pascual says consumers appreciate having greater control over their health. “Patients really want to have control of their medical information. They want to have their own diagnostic sets of tools and they really want to feel like they’re putting in their part in order to have an active and healthy lifestyle.”

From a physician’s perspective, Dr. Pascual notes that cardiologists welcome the additional data wearables can provide—beyond what can be briefly observed during a patient’s office visit.

However, Dr. Pascual cautions that wearables shouldn’t be thought of as a substitute for professional medical advice. “It’s important to understand their capabilities and their limitations,” he stresses.

Understanding What Wearables Can Do

Many modern wearables now include features that provide a continuous stream of data about your cardiovascular system and can detect problems with your heart that you may not even be aware of. Key functions of today’s wearables include:

• Heart Rhythm Monitoring: Many smartwatches can perform a function similar to an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG), allowing them to detect irregular heartbeats. This is particularly useful for identifying potential signs of conditions like atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common type of treated heart arrhythmia.
• Trend Tracking: Wearables collect data over long periods, revealing trends in your resting heart rate, activity levels and sleep quality. A rising resting heart rate, for example, could be an early indicator of a health issue, prompting a conversation with your physician.
• Symptom Capture: Some heart rhythm issues are infrequent and may not occur during a physician’s visit. A wearable can capture these episodes as they happen in your daily life, providing valuable information for your physician.
• Motivation for a Healthier Lifestyle: The constant feedback from a wearable can be a powerful motivator. Tracking activity, setting goals and even engaging in friendly competition with friends can encourage users to make and maintain positive lifestyle changes.

Catching Heart Disease Early with Wearables

Early detection of heart disease is where cardiologists see the greatest potential for wearables. Bryan Wilner, M.D., also a cardiac electrophysiologist at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, says they provide early opportunities for identifying irregularities with the heart that might otherwise go undetected.

Wearables don’t diagnose heart disease, he emphasizes. But continuous tracking can reveal subtle changes over time, identify abnormal trends and perhaps prompt patients to seek medical evaluation sooner. “For example, if your wearable shows a trend toward a higher resting heart rate, that’s a signal to talk to your physician,” Dr. Wilner explains.

Other Important Benefits of Wearables

Dr. Wilner says wearables are especially useful in monitoring for episodic events—such as irregular heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation (AFib)—that may be hard to capture in a clinical setting.

They can also reveal “silent” or asymptomatic problems with the heart. “Early heart failure and sleep-related breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea can both progress without obvious symptoms,” says Dr. Wilner. “Wearables help surface these issues earlier, when intervention may be simpler and more effective.”

Wearables can also help bridge the gap between office visits. Most patients see their cardiologist only once or twice a year. By providing continuous insight into what’s happening in everyday life—during sleep, exercise, stress and recovery—wearables can give physicians a broader, more detailed picture of their patient’s heart health.

“What makes wearables different from traditional medical testing is frequency,” Dr. Wilner explains. “An office visit provides only a snapshot of the patient’s health at the time, while wearables collect longitudinal, real-world data over days, weeks or months. From this data, which we can access from the patient’s app when they come in to see us, we can determine if they need diagnostic testing.”

He believes wearables will become a standard entry point into cardiovascular care, especially for younger, tech-savvy patients who may otherwise delay seeing a doctor.

Understanding the Limitations of Wearables

Dr. Pascual stresses that while wearables can help individuals feel empowered, interpretation remains a critical step. “It’s easy to get swept up in daily numbers and notifications,” he admits. “But not every alert is cause for concern. The value of wearables comes from using the information as a conversation starter with your healthcare provider, not as a final answer.”

Despite their benefits, it’s important to remember that consumer wearables are screening tools, not diagnostic medical devices.

“Wearables are excellent screening tools but they’re less of a diagnostic tool,” Dr. Pascual says. “For diagnostic purposes, we still rely on FDA-approved medical devices, like a Holter monitor.”

Other limitations to consider include:

• Accuracy and False Alarms: Accuracy can be affected by skin contact, motion and other factors, potentially causing false positives or false negatives.
• Data Interpretation: Not all collected data is clinically significant, and normal variations may be misinterpreted.
• Not a Replacement for Medical Advice: Alerts should prompt consultation, not self-diagnosis.

“No screening tool is perfect and you have to understand its limitations,” Dr. Pascual notes.

If symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, lightheadedness or unusual fatigue occur, medical attention should be sought immediately.

Using Your Wearable Wisely

Wearable technology works best as part of a partnership between you and your physician.

“If you purchase a wearable device to track your cardiovascular health, it’s very important that you discuss it with your physician so that you can have an action plan,” Dr. Pascual advises.

Ultimately, wearable devices empower you to take a more active role in your health by supporting healthier habits and more informed conversations with your physician.

For more information about the services and physicians you’ll find at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, click here.