Johnson & Johnson Teams Up With Apple Study to Help Reduce the Risk of Strokes

Apple and Johnson & Johnson have partnered on a study to determine whether the newest Apple Watch, working with an app from Johnson & Johnson, can accelerate atrial fibrillation (AFib) diagnosis and help prevent stoke, reports USA Today . The study will concentrate exclusively on American adults 65 and older who wear the Apple Watch Series 4. The watch features an irregular heart rhythm notification tool and a electrocardiogram app designed to detect AFib, which have both been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to Johnson & Johnson's Paul Stoffels, "the goal is to identify early on AFib and prevent stroke by combining the physical know-how from Apple and what we have from the medical and scientific know-how." The pharmaceutical firm intends to collect aggregate data from study participants, rather than monitoring individuals. Paul Burton with Johnson & Johnson notes the Apple Watch's detection rate for AFib is good, but false positives are always a possibility. If the device detects the condition, wearers are advised to seek a formal diagnosis from their medical provider.