You’re standing in a crowded train station or finishing an intense workout when dizziness suddenly kicks in. Within seconds, your vision blurs, your knees weaken, and you collapse without warning. While fainting episodes like these are usually not life-threatening, the sudden fall itself can lead to serious injuries such as fractures, concussions, or head trauma—making early detection especially important.
That’s the idea behind Samsung’s latest health research involving the Samsung Galaxy Watch6, which the company says may eventually help predict fainting episodes minutes before they happen.
The study, conducted with Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in Korea, focused on vasovagal syncope (VVS), a common condition caused by a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure, often triggered by stress, fatigue, or prolonged standing.
“Up to 40% of people experience vasovagal syncope over their lifetime, with one-third experiencing recurrent episodes,” said Professor Junhwan Cho of the Department of Cardiology at Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital. “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.”
Researchers tested 132 patients with suspected VVS symptoms using the Galaxy Watch6’s photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, which tracks heart rate variability (HRV). Combined with an AI-powered algorithm, the system successfully predicted fainting episodes up to five minutes in advance at a clinically meaningful sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 64%.
“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 (MX) Business, Samsung Electronics.
The findings, published in Volume 7, Issue 4 of European Heart Journal – Digital Health, mark what researchers say is the first successful demonstration of a commercial smartwatch predicting syncope before it happens.
