The announcement that the next iteration of the Apple Watch can both monitor the wearer’s heart rhythm and, if a suspicious reading emerges, perform an electrocardiogram, could be a boon for users and their doctors. Or it could be a massive headache for the health care system.
The new watch continuously monitors the wearer’s heart rate. It does this by shining a light onto the back of the wrist. An algorithm analyzes the light that’s reflected back, which changes with each pulse. If a suspicious reading appears, the watch notifies its user, who can then make the watch perform an electrocardiogram. That test offers a more sensitive and accurate picture of the heart’s rhythm.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, which cleared Apple’s monitor and electrocardiogram applications, the continuous monitoring and notification app isn’t for people under age 22 or those diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, an irregular and often rapid heart rate that affects as many as 6 million Americans. Atrial fibrillation causes symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath in some, and increases the risk of having a stroke four- or five-fold.
I’m a cardiologist with a keen interest in heart rhythm problems. I’ve found that devices that do things similar to what Apple says its watch will do to be unbelievably helpful for my patients with atrial fibrillation.
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