For years, 54-year-old cardiac patient Sunil Verma avoided travelling alone after experiencing sudden fainting spells without warning. “The fear was not just fainting,” he recalled, “but collapsing anywhere—on the road, in the bathroom, or while crossing traffic.”
Doctors later diagnosed him with vasovagal syncope, a condition in which a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure reduces blood flow to the brain, leading to temporary loss of consciousness.
Now, researchers say wearable technology may soon help patients like Verma receive an alert minutes before such an episode occurs, giving them enough time to sit, lie down, or seek help before collapsing.
In what scientists describe as a global first, Samsung Electronics has announced a breakthrough in predicting fainting episodes using its Samsung Galaxy Watch. The findings, published in the European Heart Journal – Digital Health, emerged from a joint clinical study conducted by Samsung and Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in South Korea.
Researchers demonstrated that biosignals collected through the smartwatch could predict vasovagal syncope several minutes before an actual fainting event occurred.
The condition is among the most common causes of fainting worldwide and can be triggered by emotional stress, fear, pain, dehydration, prolonged standing, heat exposure, or anxiety. Though usually not fatal, sudden collapse can result in severe injuries, including fractures, head trauma, and concussions.
Medical experts estimate that nearly 40% of people may experience at least one fainting episode during their lifetime, while many continue to suffer recurrent attacks that disrupt daily activities and quality of life.
“An early warning could give patients advance time to get into a safe position or call for help, which would dramatically reduce the incidence of secondary injuries,” said Junhwan Cho of the Department of Cardiology at Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital and lead author of the study.
The study involved 132 patients with suspected vasovagal syncope symptoms undergoing medically induced fainting tests. Researchers used the smartwatch’s photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor to analyse heart rate variability (HRV) patterns with the help of an artificial intelligence algorithm.
The results showed that the system could predict an impending fainting episode up to five minutes in advance with an accuracy of 84.6%, while achieving a clinically significant sensitivity of 90%.
Researchers believe the findings represent an important milestone in digital healthcare because they demonstrate how consumer wearable devices can evolve beyond fitness tracking into practical medical monitoring tools.
“This study is an example of how wearable technology can help shift healthcare from being designed for post-care to a model of preventive care,” said Jongmin Choi, Head of Health R&D Group, Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics.
The development comes amid rapid global growth in wearable health technologies. Smartwatches and fitness trackers today are capable of continuously monitoring heart rate, oxygen saturation, sleep quality, physical activity, stress levels, and even irregular heart rhythms outside conventional hospital settings.
In India, where heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension are increasing sharply, doctors believe wearable technology could play a larger role in preventive medicine and early risk detection.
Health experts pointed out that continuous monitoring may be especially useful for elderly individuals, cardiac patients, and people living in remote regions where access to specialist care remains limited. Such devices can transmit health information remotely, reducing the need for repeated hospital visits while allowing doctors to monitor patients over time.
The potential applications extend beyond fainting prediction. Researchers worldwide are exploring wearable systems for detecting early signs of cardiac abnormalities, sleep disorders, neurological conditions, and metabolic diseases.
However, doctors cautioned that wearable devices should complement—not replace—professional medical assessment. Concerns regarding data accuracy, affordability, clinical validation, and privacy protections still need careful attention before such technologies can be widely integrated into healthcare systems.
A cardiologist familiar with the emerging field noted that while wearable technologies are promising, patients should avoid self-diagnosis based solely on smartwatch readings. “These tools are useful for alerts and monitoring, but clinical evaluation remains essential,” the expert said.
