Follow Your Heart: Apple Watch ECG Changing Lives

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Available on Apple Watch Series 4 models in the United States, the app is designed to indicate whether your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation, thanks to electrodes built into the back of the new Watch. In this week’s issue, we take a closer look at the new feature, explore the future of digital tech and our health, and reveal how the Apple Watch is already helping to save lives…

REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY

Whilst ECG technology certainly isn’t new, Apple brings it to everyday users on a device that they’re already using. Indeed, the Apple Watch is now the world’s most popular smartwatch, with millions of users around the world. With the ECG application on latest Series 4 watches, Apple helps users check their heart rhythm every few hours, and be encouraged to visit a doctor if there are five or more abnormal rate readings.

The technology in the Watch works in the same way as a single-lead electrocardiogram and has De Novo classification from the FDA. However, Apple has said that the technology is “not intended to be a diagnostic device or to replace traditional methods of diagnosis” and that it “should not be used to monitor or track disease state or change medication without first talking to a doctor,” although further clarification is needed on those comments.