Abstract:
Obesity is associated with a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including atrial fibrillation, heart failure, hypertension, sleep-disordered, and other sudden cardiac events. Wearable technologies, including smartwatches and wearable sensors, offer the possibility of continuous or prolonged monitoring of heart rate, rhythm, physical activity, temperature, oxygen saturation and other physiological parameters. Sophisticated algorithms can detect different forms of arrhythmias, and potentially other clinically relevant abnormalities, creating opportunities for earlier diagnosis and intervention. My presentation will review the current and emerging role of wearable technology in cardiovascular monitoring of patients with obesity, focusing on arrhythmia detection, heart rate and activity monitoring, sleep-related abnormalities and the potential role of artificial intelligence. It will also discuss current limitations, false-positive findings and the evidence required before wearable-derived data can reliably influence clinical decision-making.
