One of the
most anticipated features of Apple Watch Series 4 launched in September this
year is the ability of the watch to capture mobile electrocardiogram (ECG or
EKG) at the touch of the button. The feature was made available to consumers in
the US today via a software update.
The new
feature is a big step towards company’s venture of linking apple with
healthcare. The apple watch ECG is a simple, single-lead ECG, as opposed to the
standard 12 lead ECG usually administered in a hospital or clinic settings.
Apple ECG
will not document most heart rhythm abnormalities, electrical changes
associated with heart attack or heart failure. Apple ECG would detect irregular
heartbeats or quivering– atrial fibrillation or a-fib as it is commonly known.
A-fib is a
serious condition and according to US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention estimates that as many as 6.1 million Americans are living with
a-fib. It can cause stroke, blood clots or cardiac failure. It is also
difficult to diagnose because the rhythm often becomes regular as the patient
reaches the physician’s office for an ECG.
If you are
wearing apple watch, it can immediately register the irregular heartbeat and
diagnose atrial fibrillation.
While
recording ECG, you must be sitting or standing still and able to hold the hand in
place for 30 seconds. ECG cannot be recorded if you are running or doing any
stressful physical activity.
As soon as
you open the watch, touch the ‘digital crown’ with your free hand to complete
the electrical circuit. The heart rhythm strips appear immediately on the
screen, and your iPhone alerts you that your ECG is ready to review.
A
description of your ECG is also seen on the screen so that people can
understand the heart rate and associated abnormalities. The user can directly
upload the ECG along with the description provided to his family physician or
cardiologist.
FDA clears
the new apple ECG feature, but it has not approved it. The FDA also made it
clear that the app is only for people 22 years and older.
“We have
tens of millions of watches on people’s wrists, and we have hundreds of
millions of phones in people’s pockets,” says Apple’s chief operating officer
Jeff Williams, who oversees the company’s health projects. “There’s a huge
opportunity to empower people with more information about their health. So this
is something we view as not only an opportunity but a responsibility of ours.”
Critics fear
that the ability of millions of people to get their on-demand ECG at the touch
of a button will clog the ER and result in many unnecessary tests.
Apple
responds that no medical test is 100% accurate, so some false positives are
inevitable. However, much thoughts have gone into making the app user-friendly
and not anxiety provoking, and it will prompt the user to act at a crucial
time.
