Apple Watch/iphone and App Detecting AFIB

Posted , 7 users are following.

Saw on the news that the Apple watch detected an arrhythmia and notified the owner. Is anyone using their Apple watch for something like this? Seems pretty interesting.

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    This Apple Heart Study is deemed to fail. As of right now I’m writing this reply, I have been involved in this study for 166 days and 387 heart rhythm data has been captured and sent to Apple. During these 166 days, I had 4 afib episodes while wearing my Apple Watch 3. It had never identified the rhythm nor to notify me. The problem with this study is, the Apple Watch only captures the heart rate once in a while, maybe every 5 or 10 minutes. So if you happen to have an episode falls into this gap, it wouldn’t know it. It wouldn’t even make sense to wear an Apple Watch for this purpose unless it can continuously monitor your heart rate. To Apple and its partner Stanford University Hospital, this heart study is more like a fancy ads to show off.
    • Posted

      That's a good point about how they only take a reading at certain intervals. I did not know that. Hopefully they will improve or change this or someone else will improve and build on the technology. Thanks for sharing.

  • Posted

    Hype over substance?

    Apple?

    well colour me surprised, that’s never been known to happen before.

  • Posted

    It's barely a toy at this point.  I don't think it can tell "harmless" and common PACs and PVCs from anything worse, and it might be able to ring a bell for something worse but not before you already know, and not with any detail.  To get any detail needs a bunch of contacts around your chest and body, and the watch doesn't have those to look at.

    There are various efforts to find a way to get EKGs non-invasively, high-tech vests you can wear, and the like, but so far nothing you can buy.

  • Posted

    I use Kardia… and wont use apple anymore, I had a time when I forgot my security password and so accidently locked my account. Apple also locked my phone to which the Kardia is attached. They refused to give priority to unlocking the phone and it took 6 weeks for them to get around to unlocking, thus 6 weeks without cardiology monitor for my heart and had to be reliant on being able to go to my GP or the local urgent care and also sadly to have to call for emergency care when I could have been in better control of my situation. Yes and apple product can be a useful part of support, but don't rely on it alone.  . 

    • Posted

      I just ordered the Kardia a few days ago. That's really unacceptable support you received from Apple. I haven't had much experience with their products because imho they are priced a bit too high, but if they end up making something worthwhile for afib monitoring I would spend the extra money absolutely.

    • Posted

      I find the Kardia very useful it, for me, give good information and helps control my response ie meds activity and etc means of control of Arrhythmia events, also pre warning showing up paired beats which for me is a warning of Arrhythmia to come. Helps put my mind at rest..... Hope you will find it as helpful!!!  
  • Posted

    It might be the Apple study or perhaps the Kardia Band's "smart rhythm" function which uses the apple watch. I have a Kardia Band and while I like the ecg function, the smart rhythm detection function is very rudimentary with lots of false positives and false negatives. One problem probably with both is that the Apple Watch is inferior to chest strap type devices such as the Polar H10 in detecting HR and its variances.

    Jim

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