BEAT-AFib 66 Month Milestone

What We Aim to Learn in the BEAT-AFib Study

Atrial Fibrillation (AFib or AF) is the most common heart arrhythmia seen in practice. However, we do not currently have a good way of identifying patients who are most at risk for developing AFib, nor are we able to identify who might progress to having more frequent episodes in patients already diagnosed with AFib. While we have ways to treat AFib, we are still looking for strategies for preventing AFib from occurring in the first place. Therefore, in this novel study, we aim to fill in these gaps and identify the various factors that contribute to AFib development and progression. We are studying biomarkers—molecules in the blood that might be an indicator of risk. You can think of cholesterol as a biomarker for developing coronary disease, but we don’t currently have a “cholesterol” for AFib. We hope to change that. 

We are also looking at other potential markers, other than those that might be found in the blood. For example, we are studying subtle structural changes of the heart via imaging (using echocardiography and MRI in some participants) that might predate the occurrence of AFib. We are also studying electrical abnormalities from ECGs using a new approach of recording high-resolution ECGs to pick up subtle signals not present on a standard ECG. We are also interested in how behaviors (e.g. sleep, exercise, and stress) might affect the risk as well. Together, we are contributing to a growing body of research that will help us better understand the development and progression of AFib.

Your Contribution

Since the BEAT-AFib study began in September 2020, we have enrolled 407 participants. Together, our research participants have helped us collect 43,134 AliveCor KardiaMobile ECG recordings, 2,486 VivaLNK patch recordings (approximately 9,944 days of monitoring, with each recording averaging 4 days in length), and 713 high-resolution ECGs collected at baseline and follow-up visits.

Since our last newsletter in December 2025, participants have contributed 4,497 additional AliveCor KardiaMobile ECG recordings, 260 VivaLNK patch recordings, and 78 additional high-resolution ECGs. We are still recruiting participants to help maintain balanced enrollment across our three study groups: individuals with AFib, individuals with AFib risk factors, and controls.

Who Are Our Participants?

The average age of the BEAT-AFib study participants is 66 years, and 62% of participants are male. We hope to be able to use data to find new predictors of developing AFib or its more progressive forms. Looking at the distribution of common AFib risk factors among our non-AFib study population, 62% of our participants have a history of hypertension (high blood pressure), 67% of our population are age 65 or older, and 35% have a BMI over 30 kg/cm. Our participant demographics can be found in the table below.