Samsung intends to add a fainting-prediction sensor to the Galaxy Watch in the near future. The company announced in early May that it has partnered with Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in South Korea to put sensors into the Galaxy Watch 6 that can predict vasovagal syncope with “high accuracy.”
Vasovagal syncope is the medical name for one of the most common causes of a fainting spell. Essentially, the nervous system responds to stress by drastically lowering the body’s heart rate and blood pressure, leading to restricted blood flow to the brain, causing a brief loss of consciousness. Not only is vasovagal syncope among the most common causes of fainting, its impact on heart rate and blood pressure makes it much easier to predict with existing smartwatch sensors than other causes like postural syncope or cardiac syncope.
As someone who suffers from occasional syncope due to a long-term medical condition, having a smartwatch that can detect the signs of an oncoming episode before I’m nearly keeled over on a hot subway platform would be an absolute game changer.
Fainting alone is bad enough, but fainting spells often come with secondary injuries because signs and symptoms can come on rapidly. The reduced potential for concussions or greater injuries from sudden vasovagal syncope episodes is enough to get me to ditch my Apple Watch, which only offers fall detection once a fainting episode has already occurred. In terms of my own health and well-being, predictive warnings trump post-care medical alerts. And the Galaxy Watch could soon be capable of both.
In fact, during early clinical trials in Gwangmyeong Hospital, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 sensors predicted vasovagal syncope episodes up to 5 minutes before they occurred with over 84% accuracy, a clinically meaningful sensitivity of 90%, and a specificity of 64%. So they aren’t perfect, but they would represent a significant breakthrough in fainting prediction, and their performance will likely improve with additional training and research.
While a smartwatch sensor isn’t a replacement for proper medical care, a predictive sensor can be a valuable addition to a safety plan, serving as an early warning should traditional mitigation methods fail. It’s a handy preventative measure that could save people some serious bumps and bruises.
Samsung’s vasovagal syncope sensor remains in clinical testing for now, though it may make it onto consumer devices in the future. For the last two years, Samsung has been expanding its health-tracking portfolio, with other reports indicating deeper investment in glucose monitoring and cardiovascular health tracking. If Samsung is successful in clinical trials for fainting, cardiovascular health, and glucose monitoring, future Galaxy Watches could completely overtake the competition.
