New Apple wristband sensor can detect potassium blood levels

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Now that’s pretty cool:

The AliveCor KardiaBand, a sensor compatible with the Apple Watch, can detect dangerous levels of potassium in blood with 94 percent accuracy. […]

[It] is a sensor that snaps into a slot on the watchband. The user touches the sensor, which then takes a reading of the electrical activity of the heart, called an electrocardiogram (EKG). This reading can reveal abnormal heart rhythm and atrial fibrillation (AFib), and the sensor sends the information to an app. Yesterday, at the American College of Cardiology conference in Florida, AliveCor CEO Vic Gundotra presented research done with the Mayo Clinic showing that the same technology can detect too-high levels of potassium in the blood, called hyperkalemia.

Hyperkalemia can be caused by, among other things, diabetes […] It can lead to kidney and heart failure and in general doesn’t cause obvious symptoms — meaning you could have the condition and not know it.

It is an AI detection. The first of many uninvasive sensors to come, I hope.

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That’s neat! Fitbit claims their Ionic sensors can detect blood oxygen levels and could be used to monitor sleep apnea. I’m not sure it’ll ever come to fruition, but I hope it does.

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Blood oxygen is pretty easy. Not sure what they are monitoring for sleep apnea.

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They can’t monitor anything yet. But oxygen levels is how sleep apnea is screened for (I actually think they were talking about screening, not monitoring once diagnosed).

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Ok, well if all they need is blood oxygen, that shouldn’t be a problem. And if all they are going to do is screen, then other than normal FDA hurdles this should be easily possible.

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