ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — Most often, you’ll find Art Schiebel with a tool in his hand. At 73, age is just a number as he continues to work as an electrician.
“If I feel good enough to do it, why not do what you enjoy?” Schiebel said.
But in May 2023, his life came to a halt.
“I’d never had a heart issue a day in my life,” he said.
What Schiebel thought was acid reflux turned out to be atrial fibrillation, a condition that landed him in the hospital.
“You get tightness in the chest and a pounding feeling. You know right away something is out of whack,” he said.
At the time, the only solution his doctor offered was blood thinners.
“I kept saying to the doctor, ‘Can I get off this medication? Can I get off?’” Schiebel recalled. “He said, ‘I’m going to give you two scenarios: You get off this, you’re going to have a stroke and die, or, a worse scenario, you could have a stroke and live.’”
Then his Allegheny Health Network doctor recommended him for the REACT-AF trial, a study exploring how Apple smartwatches can help tailor daily blood thinner use for patients with atrial fibrillation.
“If they don’t have atrial fibrillation for 30 consecutive days, they get an automated message on their phone to stop their blood thinner and continue wearing the watch. If a recurrence is detected, they’ll be told to resume their blood thinners,” said Dr. Amit Thosani, a cardiologist at Allegheny Health Network.
Schiebel is one of more than 5,000 participants nationwide hoping this five-year study will change their lives. Each month, he gets a text telling him if atrial fibrillation was detected. Since February, he’s stayed in the clear and off the medication.
“You only have to wear it a few hours a day, but I’m obsessed with staying off the blood thinner. I even wear it to bed,” Schiebel said.
The REACT-AF trial is just one example of how advancing technology is personalizing healthcare, giving patients like Schiebel a chance at a healthier future.
The study is still continuing to enroll patients with AGH being one of the nation’s top enrollment sites for the clinical trial. If you are interested, check with your PCP or cardiologist to see if you are eligible.
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