Well, probably in this case it is time for the kids to pay back the care they got from parents and get them Apple Watch as a gift... i am doing the same with my mother
Between this and the fall detection, the Apple Watch is a complete no brainer present for elderly parents. It's much more efficient and actually cheaper than those dumb alert buttons that cost a fortune.
“A 74-year-old man from Lake Worth in Palm Beach County, Fla., credits Apple Watch with saving his life”
“"I'm not sure if it saved my life, but it sure as hell helped," he said.”
So which is it?
I'll believe him before I'd believe any reporter's copy.
I bought an Apple Watch for my wife after she was diagnosed with A-Fib. She underwent a cardioversion procedure that corrected it, but she's always at risk of slipping back into it. Now if I could just get her to wear it...
Well, probably in this case it is time for the kids to pay back the care they got from parents and get them Apple Watch as a gift... i am doing the same with my mother
Between this and the fall detection, the Apple Watch is a complete no brainer present for elderly parents.
Heh, in my family it was the other way around. Elderly parents bought them, liked them so much that they bought Watches for me and my sister…
It seems fair to report the number of people getting a heart attack because of false ‘positives’.
Sure. What numbers are you sharing with us? How many fatal heart attacks have their been due to false positive a-fib results on Apple Watch?
What? You don't have any numbers? Because there very likely isn't any data to suggest it's happened at all? Sacre bleu!
My comment was a bit sarcastic of course but false positives is a real concern ... by doctors.
What's the concern that doctors are having? Are they seeing such an influx of false positives that it's keeping people with actual, more pressing issues from being treated in time?
Before buying an Apple Watch for this feature, you might want to listen to real cardiologists on YouTube.
What does this mean?
It means “You could have an arrhythmia even if your heart is healthy” webmd.
If you listen to a cardiologist they’ll tell you the Apple Watch has questionable value. Just because a couple instances of the heart monitor gets a person in to see their doctor and there is a problem, that leaves out thousands (?) of unneeded visits and stress that results. The cardiologist explains that the tests themselves can be harmful (it’s not just listening to the heart). It’s a numbers game...
Now if you’re an older person or a person with a known problem, owning an Apple Watch makes a lot more sense (if you bought it for that reason).
AW a-fib detection does not use the ECG testing feature, it's passive monitoring based on heart rate. The vast majority of the population will not have false positives. While it is possible a-fib could go undetected, so would it if not wearing AW. Thus, there is absolutely no reason to opt not to use AW for a-fib detection. Except general anti-Apple FUD, of course.
What else ya got?
One might be under the impression that all causes where the Watch alerted the wearer to AFib are being reported by the Apple-focused tech media, but I know of two people who were alerted of AFib (in Series 3 Watches, not the models that included the single-lead ECG feature) repeatedly and eventually went to the doctor because they had also been feeling lethargic lately. Both cases found that AFib was not "a fib" and had emergency surgery to correct the issue. I wonder how many other cases have been detected and resolved but not reported on by the media.
Good point.
So I had a Series 2 Watch. I was at the WorldCon in San Jose last year, and found myself pooping out from just walking around. I checked my heartbeat with my Apple Watch and it registered 145 BPM. Sat down and rested for about 10 minutes. Rechecked and it was still 135 BPM. Woke up that night and checked it lying in bed. 135 BPM. When I got home, went to Urgent Care. Told the doctor, and had to insist they do a cardiogram on me. When the doctor saw the readout, she literally turned white and called the ambulance.
Not only did I catch my atrial fib and my atrial flutter, I also discovered a major issue with my left lung that had gone undetected until then.
It seems fair to report the number of people getting a heart attack because of false ‘positives’.
Sure. What numbers are you sharing with us? How many fatal heart attacks have their been due to false positive a-fib results on Apple Watch?
What? You don't have any numbers? Because there very likely isn't any data to suggest it's happened at all? Sacre bleu!
Actually, there is data. It was supplied to the FDA during the original study in order for them to approve the device. The numbers were small and within an acceptable range which is why the FDA approved the device.
Many / most tests have some level of false positives and false negatives. When they are within an acceptable range the test is considered ok to use.
It doesn't mean anything, it's Seanismorris spouting BS again. Yes, there are videos of "cardiologists" who apparently have time to make YouTube videos (they must be really good cardiologist then!) spouting FUD either because they've been paid to say so or they're just out-of-touch old men who can't believe a single-point ECG can indicate anything.
And then there are the ACTUAL HOSPITAL CARDIOLOGISTS I've interviewed and the doctors in the articles AI has quoted and the many, many, many, many stories news sites have run about patients who discover a heart problem before they die of it thanks to the Apple Watch.
But yeah, believe some rando on YouTube over actual doctors and patients who credit the Watch with saving lives. Sure.
Spot on. I had Doctors (pardon me for not knowing exact terminology - doctors who treat spinal issues, 4 types - Orthoxxxx, Neurologists, Physiologist, Chiropractors) giving me those ‘don’t bullshit’ attitude or total disregard of Apple Watch when I told them ever since I started with first gen Apple Watch, my spinal problems seem to have improved and greatly reduced relapses. Now 4 or 5 years later, I dare to say with confidence Apple Watch saved my lifestyle and perhaps even my job. Several years ago, I was almost frequently getting bed-ridden due to budged discs pressing onto my nerves on the lower back (L5-S1 area). It was so frequent such as twice a month for few days or every two months once (random pattern) that I have ran out of medical leaves, affected ability to deliver for my job, etc. Now, I haven’t have a relapse for 1+ year now. Slight discomfort at times, yes but bed-ridden, no. It’s all thanks to the annoying (at the beginning) alerts to stand up hourly. Now, it’s a habit that comes naturally to do so without the alerts, most of the time.
Chaicka, I have the same L5-S1 problem. Can you tell me what and how Apple Watch help? thanks
Well, probably in this case it is time for the kids to pay back the care they got from parents and get them Apple Watch as a gift... i am doing the same with my mother
Between this and the fall detection, the Apple Watch is a complete no brainer present for elderly parents. It's much more efficient and actually cheaper than those dumb alert buttons that cost a fortune.
As a now retired Home Health nurse I totally, completely agree. Those other devices are too often left on the table -- or, in the most dangerous situation, left beside the tub as they take a shower! The Apple Watch can be worn all day and it can also help with other things -- such as medication reminders.
Even for myself, I use it anytime I have something on the stove if, for no other reason than to remind me to turn the stove off!
Before buying an Apple Watch for this feature, you might want to listen to real cardiologists on YouTube.
What does this mean?
It means “You could have an arrhythmia even if your heart is healthy” webmd.
If you listen to a cardiologist they’ll tell you the Apple Watch has questionable value. Just because a couple instances of the heart monitor gets a person in to see their doctor and there is a problem, that leaves out thousands (?) of unneeded visits and stress that results. The cardiologist explains that the tests themselves can be harmful (it’s not just listening to the heart). It’s a numbers game...
Now if you’re an older person or a person with a known problem, owning an Apple Watch makes a lot more sense (if you bought it for that reason).
There aren't a lot of things which cause the P wave to disappear. That's readily visible in a single-lead ECG.
Arhythmic ventricular QRS beats are also readily visible in a single-lead ECG.
Taken together, these indicate atrial fibrillation with a high degree of confidence. False positives are conceivable, but not likely.
As for the potential of the test itself to be harmful, that's not how an ECG works. They're as passive as any test can be. Citation: The American Heart Association.
It seems fair to report the number of people getting a heart attack because of false ‘positives’.
Sure. What numbers are you sharing with us? How many fatal heart attacks have their been due to false positive a-fib results on Apple Watch?
What? You don't have any numbers? Because there very likely isn't any data to suggest it's happened at all? Sacre bleu!
My comment was a bit sarcastic of course but false positives is a real concern ... by doctors.
What's the concern that doctors are having? Are they seeing such an influx of false positives that it's keeping people with actual, more pressing issues from being treated in time?
It isn’t as reliable as being permanently attached and carting a fully fledged ECG machine around everywhere with you.
It seems fair to report the number of people getting a heart attack because of false ‘positives’.
Sure. What numbers are you sharing with us? How many fatal heart attacks have their been due to false positive a-fib results on Apple Watch?
What? You don't have any numbers? Because there very likely isn't any data to suggest it's happened at all? Sacre bleu!
My comment was a bit sarcastic of course but false positives is a real concern ... by doctors.
What's the concern that doctors are having? Are they seeing such an influx of false positives that it's keeping people with actual, more pressing issues from being treated in time?
It isn’t as reliable as being permanently attached and carting a fully fledged ECG machine around everywhere with you.
The truth is, it (pretty much) is as reliable -- that's why the FDA approved it. (Although, as a single lead it only provides a more limited amount of information). But yes, of course, there have been some physicians who feared it --- and mostly justified their fear by claiming it would cause a tidal wave of scared patients flooding medical facilities. But physicians tend to fear anything that takes away their power or threatens their livelihood.
For many a good analogy is the home blood pressure cuff: Most will go with their own measurement even though it has been shown that in-office measurement is often not accurate due to "white coat hypertension". It's a bias that has been drilled into them to trust only themselves and their own measurements -- and to distrust home & personal things.
But, in my experience, most are warming to it and see it for what it is: an early warning system -- just like home blood pressure monitoring
Comments
What? You don't have any numbers? Because there very likely isn't any data to suggest it's happened at all? Sacre bleu!
So I had a Series 2 Watch. I was at the WorldCon in San Jose last year, and found myself pooping out from just walking around. I checked my heartbeat with my Apple Watch and it registered 145 BPM. Sat down and rested for about 10 minutes. Rechecked and it was still 135 BPM. Woke up that night and checked it lying in bed. 135 BPM. When I got home, went to Urgent Care. Told the doctor, and had to insist they do a cardiogram on me. When the doctor saw the readout, she literally turned white and called the ambulance.
Not only did I catch my atrial fib and my atrial flutter, I also discovered a major issue with my left lung that had gone undetected until then.
I have the same L5-S1 problem. Can you tell me what and how Apple Watch help?
thanks
Arhythmic ventricular QRS beats are also readily visible in a single-lead ECG.
Taken together, these indicate atrial fibrillation with a high degree of confidence. False positives are conceivable, but not likely.
As for the potential of the test itself to be harmful, that's not how an ECG works. They're as passive as any test can be. Citation: The American Heart Association.