Can Your Phone Detect Heart Failure in 2 Minutes? This Study Says Yes—with 89% Accuracy

Can Your Phone Detect Heart Failure in 2 Minutes? This Study Says Yes—with 89% Accuracy

 

 

 

 

Heart failure is one of the most serious outcomes of heart disease—and once diagnosed, it often leads to repeat hospital visits. The scariest part? Nearly 52% of heart failure patients may not survive beyond five years.

 

The good news: early detection can save lives. But heart failure isn’t always easy to spot. Symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, or swollen legs can look like many other health issues. Right now, doctors usually rely on blood tests, echocardiograms, and clinical judgment—methods that aren’t always fast or accessible.

 

But what if your smartphone could help?

 

A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) explored an incredibly simple idea:
Place your phone flat on your chest for 2 minutes—and it could detect heart failure with nearly 90% accuracy.

 

 

 

 

Your Smartphone: A Built-in Heart Monitor?

 

 

 

 

Every time your heart beats, it not only pumps blood—it also moves in subtle ways: twisting, expanding, and contracting. These tiny movements ripple through your chest and reach the surface of your skin.

 

When heart failure occurs, the heart’s pumping ability weakens, and those movements become less pronounced. Traditionally, a doctor might detect this through touch—but now, your phone's built-in sensors can do the job more precisely.

 

Modern smartphones come with motion sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes. These are typically used to track movement, but in this study, they were used to pick up the small motions of the heart from the chest wall.

 

This isn’t science fiction—it’s motion science.

 

Previous research has shown that these same phone sensors can help detect heart rhythm disorders, valve problems, and even coronary artery disease. This latest study takes it one step further.

 

 

 

 

The Study: How 2 Minutes with a Smartphone Can Spot Heart Trouble

 

 

 

 

 

In this international study, researchers gathered data from 1,003 people across hospitals in Finland and the U.S.. Among them were 217 patients with diagnosed and symptomatic heart failure, along with 786 control participants.

 

Here’s how the test worked:

 

  • · Participants lay on their backs, either shirtless or wearing light clothing.

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  • · A Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9+ was placed flat on the center of their chest (the sternum).

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  • · They breathed normally for 2 minutes while the phone's sensors recorded chest wall motion.

 

A special app captured those motion signals and matched them to the three main phases of a heartbeat. It measured things like amplitude and timing, then uploaded the data for AI analysis.

 

The algorithm focused on 10 consistent heartbeats, filtered out background noise, and analyzed how the heart was moving during contraction and relaxation.

 

The result?

 

  • · Accuracy: 89%

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  • · Sensitivity (correctly identifying patients): 85%

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  • · Specificity (correctly identifying healthy individuals): 90%

 

Even better, the accuracy held steady across different ages, body types, genders, and even among people with or without arrhythmias.

 

 

 

 

A Glimpse into the Future of Home Heart Health

 

 

 

 

This study shows that a simple 2-minute test using your smartphone could one day help monitor heart health from home—no hospital visit required.

 

Even though smartphone motion sensors weren’t designed for this purpose, researchers could collect usable heart data from over 99% of participants. And the method didn’t require any extra gadgets—just a phone and an app.

 

It's quick, affordable, and accessible—making it a promising tool for widespread heart monitoring.

 

Of course, there are still limitations. Some control participants weren’t screened with echocardiograms, so a few may have had undiagnosed heart issues. Also, the heart failure group was slightly older and had more men and comorbidities, which may have influenced results.

 

So, while more research is needed, the early signs are encouraging.

 

 

 

 

What’s Next? Smartwatches, AI, and Even Your Fingertips

 

 

 

 

Researchers are exploring more ways to monitor heart health remotely—many of them already right at your fingertips.

 

One exciting example? The Impulse Heart Rate Monitor, available on the App Store. This app lets you measure your heart rate simply by placing your fingers on the back of your phone—no extra devices needed.

 

Using your phone’s camera and light, the app detects subtle changes in skin color caused by blood flow, giving you a quick and accurate heart rate reading in just seconds. It’s an easy way to check your heart rate during workouts, after stress, or before sleep.

 

In addition, studies are showing promising results using AI to analyze smartwatch ECG data, with the ability to predict heart failure or rhythm issues years in advance.

 

Right now, many of these tools are still being refined and are not yet intended for formal diagnosis. But the direction is clear: with smart apps and sensors, monitoring your heart could soon be as easy as checking your messages.

 

As this technology continues to evolve, we’re heading toward a future where early detection, personalized insights, and even life-saving alerts come straight from your pocket—no hospital visit required.

 

 

 

 

Bottom line:


Your phone may soon do more than send messages or track steps—it could one day help protect your heart.

 

 

 

 

Reference

 

[1]Zachi I. Attia, David M. Harmon, Jennifer Dugan, Lukas Manka, Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, Amir Lerman, Konstantinos C. Siontis, Peter A. Noseworthy, Xiaoxi Yao, Eric W. Klavetter, John D. Halamka, Samuel J. Asirvatham, Rita Khan, Rickey E. Carter, Bradley C. Leibovich, Paul A. Friedman. Prospective evaluation of smartwatch-enabled detection of left ventricular dysfunction. Nature Medicine, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-02053-1

 

[2]Haddad F, Saraste A, Santalahti KM, Pänkäälä M, Kaisti M, Kandolin R, Simonen P, Nammas W, Jafarian Dehkordi K, Koivisto T, Knuuti J, Mahaffey KW, Blomster JI. Smartphone-Based Recognition of Heart Failure by Means of Microelectromechanical Sensors. JACC Heart Fail. 2024 Mar 22:S2213-1779(24)00165-3.

 

[3]Taylor CJ, Ordóñez-Mena JM, Roalfe AK, Lay-Flurrie S, Jones NR, Marshall T, Hobbs FDR. Trends in survival after a diagnosis of heart failure in the United Kingdom 2000-2017: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2019;364:l223.

 

[4] https://heartwellness.app/

 

 

 

 

 

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