The software update which allows the Apple Watch 4 to take an EKG and to detect atrial fibrillation went live last week. In anticipation of the availability of these functions, I purchased an Apple Watch 4. As soon as the software was available, I downloaded it and have used it every day since. So far, I am quite pleased with my purchase. The technology works very well, even despite the fact that I have an implantable pacemaker/defibrillator.
The strip it takes looks like this:
You can send a strip via email to your doctor, and all are saved for posterity on your Iphone. (NOTE: YOU MUST HAVE AN IPHONE CAPABLE OF RUNNING THE SOFTWARE IN ORDER TO USE THE WATCH).
And, as long as you tell the software that you have never been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, if it detects atrial fibrillation while you wearing the watch, it will send you an alert. I haven’t gotten such an alert yet and hope not to!
This article provides a pretty accurate history of handheld consumer EKG devices along with a description of what it is like to download and use the Apple software.
And here is a story about a man whose watch spotted his previously undiagnosed Afib. After a trip to the emergency room, he was able to receive proper treatment and avert a potential health crisis.
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