The Apple Watch ECG App and Other Health Monitoring Assistants Are Live

cageymaru

cageymaru

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Apple has been granted De Novo classification by the FDA for the Apple Watch Series 4. This certification as a unique device allows Apple Watch customers running watchOS 5.1.2 access to features that enable the detection of irregular heart rhythms. Consumers will be notified when the PPG-enabled algorithm detects an irregular heartbeat. The electrical heart sensor, in conjunction with the companion ECG app, generates an ECG similar to a single-lead (Lead I) ECG to look for the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF) with a greater than 98% sensitivity and 99% specificity when compared to reference ECG devices. The device can distinguish between a normal heartbeat, or sinus rhythm, and atrial fibrillation. Other features of the Apple Watch Series 4 include access to Medical ID and fall detection.


You'll notice fairly quickly that Apple asks if you're already been diagnosed with the condition. If you have, the irregular rhythm feature is not for you. Apple doesn't want its device to be the primary monitoring tool for people who have a medical condition that puts them at a higher risk of strokes and other potentially fatal outcomes. Instead, it wants to help people who don't know they have it take the first step to get a diagnosis: About a quarter of the 2.3 million people who have atrial fibrillation won't experience any symptoms. You'll then get a notification about everything that the Apple Watch does not do. It won't track heart attacks, help you get off meds or replace your doctor, among other things. Apple describes the device as an "intelligent guardian" for your health, but it clearly doesn't want users to make important medical decisions on their own.
 
How much of the information gleaned is sent over the cloud to your health insurance provider so they can jack up your rates or decline to insure you before you have your inevitable heart attack?
 
The next step towards a social credit system takes place......
 
But does it take your Blood Pressure?

The Samsung S9, S9+ and the Note 9 all have this feature, although the software is still under test.

I've found the Note 9 to be as accurate as the home blood pressure monitor we bought at Costco a few years ago that uses the standard cuff.

Once again Apple has fallen behind.
 
Sad days when we turn to Apple for arrhythmia detection - and expect reliability. 1st lawsuit: stress induced heart attack from false positive reading.
 
I winced when I read "Could An Apple Watch Save Your Life?" No, probably not.
 
EODetroit said:
How much of the information gleaned is sent over the cloud to your health insurance provider so they can jack up your rates or decline to insure you before you have your inevitable heart attack?
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The fact that this question has to be asked is effing ridiculous. If you are an American citizen, you should not have to hide information from your doctor in order to afford health insurance. I don't understand how a country as "great" as America can make that claim and refuse to give a flying eff about healthcare. The only reason we don't have universal healthcare is because it destroys the propaganda that has been peddled for the past 30 years.
 
Donald Bell said:
The only reason we don't have universal healthcare is because it destroys the propaganda that has been peddled for the past 30 years.
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The reason we don't have universal healthcare is that no one can agree on what/now much should be covered and who is going to pay for it.
 
nutzo said:
The reason we don't have universal healthcare is that no one can agree on what/now much should be covered and who is going to pay for it.
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Yeah, I can see how it would be hard to implement a universal health care system as only Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Solvenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom have figured it out.

The only first world countries without universal healthcare are Turkey and the good ol' USA.
 
Go ahead and cut the good ole gubment a check and help get them started. be a pioneer.
Donald Bell said:
Yeah, I can see how it would be hard to implement a universal health care system as only Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Solvenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom have figured it out.

The only first world countries without universal healthcare are Turkey and the good ol' USA.
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Arguments about healthcare in the United States! GLEE! :LOL:


P.S. "WAAAHOOOO, Martha! We're gonna have us an argument about healthcare without anyone providing financial instruments to demonstrate factual costs, because no one gets to have the true numbers since insurance companies and hospitals use patient confidentiality to prevent anyone from drilling down to the real costs."
 
Donald Bell said:
Yeah, I can see how it would be hard to implement a universal health care system as only Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Solvenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom have figured it out.

The only first world countries without universal healthcare are Turkey and the good ol' USA.
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Maybe if we weren't paying for the defense of many of those countries we'd have enough to afford it too.

The problem is that most people think that universal health care means they can go to the Doctor all the want any someone else pays the bill.
Considering the plans for universal Medicare that are being floated, I'll stick to my existing health care.
Almost all these plans outlaw any private insurance such as the Medicare advantage plans. If you've looked at regular Medicare (basically a 80/20 PPO type plan), it's not that good.
Speaking from experience, if it wasn't for my mom's Medicare Advantage plan, she would have died broke.
 
nutzo said:
Maybe if we weren't paying for the defense of many of those countries we'd have enough to afford it too.
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You are greatly mistaken. However, I'm going to walk away from this thread before the inevitable happens.
 
catheter ablation is about the best thing you can have done if you have afib. its either that or beta blockers or anti arrhythmic plus the old anticoagulant if your chads2-vasc score warrants it, cant see the apple watch being that useful one you know you've got afib.
 
Donald Bell said:
The fact that this question has to be asked is effing ridiculous. If you are an American citizen, you should not have to hide information from your doctor in order to afford health insurance. I don't understand how a country as "great" as America can make that claim and refuse to give a flying eff about healthcare. The only reason we don't have universal healthcare is because it destroys the propaganda that has been peddled for the past 30 years.
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Universal = Government funded. And whatever the Government funds, it controls. I don't want the Government controlling my medical care because they will do what's in their best interest, not mine. Americans believe that you only deserve what you can earn by the sweat of your brow (besides respecting your natural human rights), which is why we resist letting the Government run everything. That is what has made America great and why so many people want to go there; because that is not how other (less great) countries operate.
 
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I'm having a heart attack... Apple searches your online profile... Tim Cook's office alarm bells go off... "It seems he's been visiting infowars.com... cancel the automated emergency response for that device [smug face]."

What a time to be alive.
 
dangerouseddy said:
cant see the apple watch being that useful one you know you've got afib.
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Ah, but there's the catch, isn't it? Once you know something it's pretty obvious. Until then, it's unknown. My mom had afib for two years undiagnosed until she traveled to visit me, and got stressed enough during the travel it flared up and we ended up in the emergency room where it was diagnosed for the first time.

She had an Apple Watch for the prior year but before the last update it didn't alert to high pulse at resting nor did it had the afib detection. Had it had either of those a year earlier it's a lot more likely it would have been detected that much sooner. As it was, the historical data confirmed that she had an occasional history and it wasn't a chronic problem so the cardiologist started slower on mitigation then they would have otherwise given her age and other medical factors. They were very happy to have a years worth of pulse data (that we obviously turned over).

For all the naysayers - I hope that neither you nor someone else you care about has an undiagnosed issue that leads to a fatality that could have otherwise been prevented. Thankfully my mom didn't have any permanent issues, but it was purely luck.

More information is never a bad thing.
 
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