Hip and Knee Replacements Monitored by Smart Watch Save

Reuters reports that patients with hip or knee replacements will now be followed for progress using their Apple watches.

A multi-site study involving medical facilities from Massachusetts, California, Colorado and Michigan will receive stats including heart rate, steps taken and standing hours from patients waiting for or recovering from hip and knee replacement surgery.

This monitoring allows surgeons to better track the patient's post-operative progress and prescribed physiotherapy, and correlate the data with long-term outcomes.

The new Apple Watch Series 4 released last month has several new health initiatives, including the abiliy to detect heart problems.  Researchers are looking to extend the use of smart watches in the areas of monitoring, motivating and assessing outcomes.