Fitbit, the popular brand of fitness trackers, is facing a class-action lawsuit over faulty heart rate monitor results.
In one of the three cases described in court documents, the user’s personal trainer recorded a 160 bpm heart rate, but her Charge HR Device read 82 bpm. Had she continued with hard exercise at this incorrect, low rate, they may have reached the maximum recommended heart rate for her age, risking the health of plaintiff Teresa Black, of Colorado.
Plaintiff David Urban, of Wisconsin, claims his Surge consistently underreported his heart rate by 15 to 25 bpm and never displayed a reading above 125 bpm, according to Ars Technica. Urban has a family history of heart disease and bought the device to ensure his heart rate did not exceed his doctor’s recommendation of 160 bpm.
According to the lawsuit, a board-certified cardiologist compared the Fitbits’ heart rate readings with those of an electrocardiogram (ECG) and reportedly found that, for heart rates above 110 bpm, the devices were incorrect by an average of 25 bpms, with some off by as much as 75 bpm, Ars Technica reported.
