Fitbit deploys heart rate monitoring in France, but what is it for and how to use it?

Smartwatches and some Fitbit fitness trackers will now be able to alert you if you have an irregular heartbeat count.

Fitbit products take a step further in connected health.

A system first introduced in the United States and now arriving in France

Last April, the American manufacturer rolled out a new feature to its American users to detect an irregular heartbeat automatically.

During the day, the brand’s connected watches and bracelets very frequently analyze the number of heartbeats of their wearers. This new option here allows you to send a notification when the number of beats exceeds or falls below a certain average level defined automatically by the software or directly by the user.

If the functionality was only reserved for the United States until then, it is now available to users in around twenty additional countries, including France.

Fitbit devices can now detect early signs of atrial fibrillation

The system developed by Fitbit has received the approval of the European authorities and has passed the necessary tests to be able to integrate it into its products from now on. The brand’s devices will now be able to automatically detect atrial fibrillation. At rest, an individual’s heart typically beats between 60 and 100 times per minute. If the heartbeat count gets out of order for a long period of time, a notification will pop up on the screen and prompt users to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Atrial fibrillation is a difficult disorder to diagnose in some patients who show no characteristic visible symptoms such as palpitations or difficulty breathing. However, it can cause cardiac arrest, stroke or blood clot if not treated in time. Adults over the age of 40 have a one in four chance of experiencing this disorder during their lifetime.

To enable this feature, users will be prompted to visit the Fitbit mobile app and click on the “Discover” tab to access settings and several information panels. Heart rate monitoring can also be performed from the ECG application for compatible models.

Source : 9to5Google