ECG feature in Apple Watch is already saving lives [u]
The electrocardiogram function of the Apple Watch Series 4 went live as part of the watchOS 5.1.2 update released on Thursday is already proving its usefulness.

Apple Watch ECG app
Released on Thursday, the watchOS 5.1.2 update added the ECG app to the Apple Watch Series 4. By using electrodes in the back crystal and the Digital Crown, a 30-second test can be performed, classifying the user's heart rate as atrial fibrillation (Afib,) sinus rhythm, or inconclusive.
A Reddit user identified as "edentel" wrote a post about their dealings with the Apple Watch Series 4 after running the update. Warned of an abnormal heart rate in notifications, the user tried out the ECG app and was provided the Afib result.
Initially the user believed there was a glitch with the firmware, after repeated tests came up Afib, but trials with the user's wife's wrist came back with normal results. After trying the other wrist and the other side of the arm, the warnings continued to be provided when the user tried out the app in other ways.
The Redditor writes they went to Patient First, expecting to just go home after potentially wasting their doctor's time. When asked what was wrong, "edentel" was embarrassed to say "Ok, so there's a new watch feature..." before asking to check its results.
The comment was a "quick queue pass" for Patient First, apparently, with the user hooked up for testing. The doctor looked at the readings from the medical equipment, and suggested "You should buy Apple stock. This probably saved you."
The doctor advised they had read about the ECG feature's release the previous evening, and while they thought there would be an upswing of patients reacting to the messages, the doctor "didn't expect it first thing this morning."
The Reddit user has reached out to AppleInsider since original publication, and has provided sufficient evidence to prove the story true. On a wider scale, it is highly likely the new ECG feature, as well as the Irregular Rhythm Notification feature available in earlier Apple Watch models, will prompt concerned users to check their health via their physician.
AppleInsider has reached out to several cardiologists in the Washington D.C. Metro area to talk about the update and the ECG feature. All of the groups we spoke to have either confirmed a reading in the emergency room since release of the OS update as a result of the reading at home, or have seen patients in the office already as a result.
Afib is said to be one of the leading conditions that can result in a stroke, and is the second-most common cause of death in the world. According to CDC estimates, Afib can affect up to two percent of the younger population of the United States, rising to nine percent for those aged 65 years or older.
Updated to note response from Reddit user.

Apple Watch ECG app
Released on Thursday, the watchOS 5.1.2 update added the ECG app to the Apple Watch Series 4. By using electrodes in the back crystal and the Digital Crown, a 30-second test can be performed, classifying the user's heart rate as atrial fibrillation (Afib,) sinus rhythm, or inconclusive.
A Reddit user identified as "edentel" wrote a post about their dealings with the Apple Watch Series 4 after running the update. Warned of an abnormal heart rate in notifications, the user tried out the ECG app and was provided the Afib result.
Initially the user believed there was a glitch with the firmware, after repeated tests came up Afib, but trials with the user's wife's wrist came back with normal results. After trying the other wrist and the other side of the arm, the warnings continued to be provided when the user tried out the app in other ways.
The Redditor writes they went to Patient First, expecting to just go home after potentially wasting their doctor's time. When asked what was wrong, "edentel" was embarrassed to say "Ok, so there's a new watch feature..." before asking to check its results.
The comment was a "quick queue pass" for Patient First, apparently, with the user hooked up for testing. The doctor looked at the readings from the medical equipment, and suggested "You should buy Apple stock. This probably saved you."
The doctor advised they had read about the ECG feature's release the previous evening, and while they thought there would be an upswing of patients reacting to the messages, the doctor "didn't expect it first thing this morning."
The Reddit user has reached out to AppleInsider since original publication, and has provided sufficient evidence to prove the story true. On a wider scale, it is highly likely the new ECG feature, as well as the Irregular Rhythm Notification feature available in earlier Apple Watch models, will prompt concerned users to check their health via their physician.
AppleInsider has reached out to several cardiologists in the Washington D.C. Metro area to talk about the update and the ECG feature. All of the groups we spoke to have either confirmed a reading in the emergency room since release of the OS update as a result of the reading at home, or have seen patients in the office already as a result.
Afib is said to be one of the leading conditions that can result in a stroke, and is the second-most common cause of death in the world. According to CDC estimates, Afib can affect up to two percent of the younger population of the United States, rising to nine percent for those aged 65 years or older.
Updated to note response from Reddit user.


Comments
...but should I risk my life to save a few hundred dollars?
IMHO for anyone interested in monitoring their heart, the Apple Watch 4 is a killer deal.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/atrial-fibrillation/diagnosis/
When you see a loved one die in front of your eyes due to undiagnosed Afib leading to stroke and death, one doesn't view Afib so cavalierly by saying it is not life threatening.
Afib causes blood flow from the top chambers of the heart to be inefficient, and not empty as well. There is a tiny pouch adjacent to one of the chambers called the left atrial appendage. Normally, the blood gets squeezed out of the pouch with every heartbeat. With afib, the blood doesn’t empty out all the way. Blood that isn’t moving can clot. A clot in the pouch can later dislodge and go to the brain to cause a stroke, or can go to other organs and cause serious damage. Clots can from in other areas of the heart, but this is the “classic” example.
The increased risk of stroke is based on several factors, and varies from person the person with afib. The risk is usually a few percent per year. People with afib get put on blood thinners and other medications to reduce this risk.
Afib can cause problems in other ways: low blood pressure, low energy, reduced ability to exercise, heart failure, etc., especially if if the heart rate with afib is very fast.
If your watch or other source says you have afib, you should always get it checked out by a physician immediately, for the reasons above, and because it’s usually easy to treat.
Source: I’m an ICU doctor who sees this all the time.
Apple shouldn’t call it that way.
If Apple has algorithms to accurately detect afib with the pulse readings, that would make the ECG on the Series 4 little more than a novelty to most lay people, with the exception that you could show the ECG to your doctor.
To a physician, the ECG on an Apple Watch offers much more information that a simple yes/no on afib. There is potentially a wealth of information about a myriad of heart issues. This potential makes me think that Apple may later expand the problems that can be automatically detected.
For example, there is another irregular rhythm called aflutter (atrial flutter instead of atrial fibrillation). They both carry the risks for stroke, and are treated much the same way.
I definitely think that over the next several years, we will see an increased ability for the watch to detect health issues.
These tools such as the watch are imperfect to be sure, but exciting to see their use increasing.