The Apple Watch and ECG App: A New Frontier in Health Monitoring
One of the most exciting features of the new Apple Watch is its built-in Electrocardiogram (ECG) app. This feature allows users to take their own electrocardiogram readings, which can be a valuable tool for monitoring heart health. The ECG app uses advanced technology to detect abnormal heart rhythms, including atrial fibrillation (AFib), which is a serious condition that often goes undiagnosed.
The Apple Watch and the ECG App: Understanding the Results
When you take an ECG reading with your Apple Watch, it will show you a real-time waveform on the screen. Your heart rate will be displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. The results will also include a diagnosis, which can be one of the following: normal sinus rhythm, atrial fibrillation (AFib), or inconclusive. If your result is inconclusive, it means that the ECG reading was not clear enough to provide a definitive diagnosis.
It's also important to note that the Apple Watch and ECG app are not able to detect a heart attack or stroke or other heart issues. If you do feel like you have something else wrong, be sure to talk to your doctor. The ECG app is designed to provide an additional layer of health monitoring, but it should not replace regular medical check-ups.
Setting Up the ECG App
To set up the ECG app on your Apple Watch, simply go to the Settings app and select "ECG". You will need to make sure that the Apple watch is on the correct wrist and that it's lined up with the selection you made in the Settings app. Once you've set everything up, simply place your finger on the digital crown and let the 30-second countdown begin.
Taking an ECG Reading
When taking an ECG reading, you'll see a real-time waveform going across the screen. Your heart rate will be displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. The process is relatively simple: place your finger on the digital crown and let the 30-second countdown begin. You can take multiple readings throughout the day to track any changes in your heart health.
The Apple Watch and ECG App: What's Not Included
While the ECG app is a valuable tool for monitoring heart health, it's not a replacement for regular medical check-ups. The Apple Watch and ECG app do not detect a heart attack or stroke or other heart issues. If you do feel like you have something else wrong, be sure to talk to your doctor.
Additional Features of the ECG App
Once you've taken an ECG reading, you can return to your iPhone and view your results in the Health app. The ECG app will provide a rundown of your results, including your heart rate and any diagnoses that were made. You'll also have access to additional features, such as the ability to share your results via PDF or add notes about any symptoms you're experiencing.
The Importance of Regular Health Check-Ups
Regular health check-ups are still essential for maintaining good overall health. The Apple Watch and ECG app are designed to provide an additional layer of health monitoring, but they should not replace regular medical check-ups. According to the CDC, atrial fibrillation (AFib) can affect up to 2% of those under 65 and 9% of those above 65.
Sharing Your Results with Your Doctor
If you take multiple ECG readings or have concerns about your heart health, it's a good idea to share your results with your doctor. You can do this by tapping the "Share via PDF" button in the Health app. This will allow you to export your results and send them to your doctor for review.
Apple Watch is Best at What It Does
The Apple Watch and ECG app are best at what they do: providing health monitoring features that help users track their heart health. The ECG app allows users to take their own electrocardiogram readings, which can be a valuable tool for monitoring heart health. By using the ECG app, users can get a better understanding of their heart health and make informed decisions about their overall well-being.
Conclusion
The Apple Watch and ECG app are exciting new features that provide an additional layer of health monitoring. The ECG app allows users to take their own electrocardiogram readings, which can be a valuable tool for monitoring heart health. By using the ECG app, users can get a better understanding of their heart health and make informed decisions about their overall well-being. Whether you're looking to track your heart health or simply want to stay on top of your health, the Apple Watch and ECG app are definitely worth considering.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwe're going hands-on with the new ECG functionality on the Apple watch series for welcome everyone it is Andrew here from Apple Insider Apple debuted and released the Apple watch series for without the ECG app promising it in the functionality to come at a later date now that watch OS 5.1 point to update has been released and with it the ECG app it is a separate app then the heartrate app that is currently on the Apple watch once you install the watch OS five point one point two update and you launch the app it'll alert you to open the health app on your iPhone which does need to have iOS twelve point one point one installed you will then want through a few prompts including entering your birthdate and understanding how watch OS and the ECG app works he also explains some of the results you might see including a fib low or high heart rates or just inconclusive what's just as important as understanding the results that you might see are the results you know you won't see the Apple watch and the ECG app are not able to detect a heart attack or a stroke or other heart issues so if you do feel like you have something else wrong be sure to talk to your doctor once you've gone through the prompts it's time to take your first ECG return to your Apple watch and open the ECG app that we just looked at a moment ago instead of always having to go to the app directly if you use it frequently you can set it up as a complication on your favorite Apple watch face then you need to make sure the Apple watch is on the correct wrist it just needs to line up with the selection you made in the Settings app and you're good to go there is no Start button simply place your finger on the digital crown and let the thirty seconds countdown you'll see a real-time waveform going across the screen and your heart rate in that upper left-hand corner and yes when you run around before filming a video you end up with an elevated heart rate that a lot of people will point out in the comments funny enough the first time that we took the ECG on our new Apple watch after installing the update we got inconclusive doesn't really tell you a lot and it does warn you if you get this reading quite often you should probably double check with your doctor to make sure everything is okay luckily for us after repeating the test many many times making this video we got a normal sinus rhythm every other time once you've finished the test you can return to your iPhone as we are in the middle of the setup process and it'll give you a rundown of your results somebody tap on done at the bottom if you ever want to get back to your heart rate data simply open the health app and go to heart and you have that electrocardiogram card right within the heart section in there will be all the readings that you take and additional information including PDFs that you can export and send to your doctor it's always important to take tests like this with just a little bit of skepticism Apple of course has done a ton of testing and they receive their de novo certification from the FDA but that certification is not all that robust and basically just means that it's not going to cause any harm in what it's doing apple says they connected a trial and they had 600 participants with 98.3% sensitivity in classifying a fib and 99.6% sensitivity with sinus rhythms a fib is a serious condition and it often goes undiagnosed so if this app helps at least a few people see then and get in touch with their doctor it could really help save lives once you finish taking those tests there is additional information that you can add so here we got normal sinus rhythm but we go down to the bottom if something is wrong we don't feel great we can call mergency services right from the ECG app or I can add additional notes such as other symptoms that I'm feeling like skipped heartbeats fainting dizziness or others all of this gets tied into that PDF that you can export to your doctor according to the CDC a that can affect up to 2% of those under 65 and 9% of those above so Apple is primarily just trying to bring attention and awareness to those problems Apple watch doesn't show a lot of information on the watch itself so anytime you take an ECG it'll show up on your iPhone within Notification Center tap on the card and you're brought into the health app and you can view all of your data as we mentioned choose any of the tests that you ran you get a little bit more information on it and there is that button that says share via PDF tapping on that PDF icon allows you to generate that PDF saving the file save it to an email whatever it may be to export out of the health app and get it to the right person as we mentioned in our Apple watch series for review Apple really nailed what the Apple watch is best at and that's health features and getting information and the ECG is more in that direction it helps you look at different heart rate features that you never would have looked at before and hopefully will help a few people along the way they may have some undiagnosed issues so what do you think of the ECG em have you tried it on your Apple watch let us know how it worked out for you down below in the comments if you enjoyed this video like it and hit that subscribe button also check out a price guide which makes it extremely easy to find the best deals and Apple products updated daily be sure to follow us on social media and we'll see you in the next videowe're going hands-on with the new ECG functionality on the Apple watch series for welcome everyone it is Andrew here from Apple Insider Apple debuted and released the Apple watch series for without the ECG app promising it in the functionality to come at a later date now that watch OS 5.1 point to update has been released and with it the ECG app it is a separate app then the heartrate app that is currently on the Apple watch once you install the watch OS five point one point two update and you launch the app it'll alert you to open the health app on your iPhone which does need to have iOS twelve point one point one installed you will then want through a few prompts including entering your birthdate and understanding how watch OS and the ECG app works he also explains some of the results you might see including a fib low or high heart rates or just inconclusive what's just as important as understanding the results that you might see are the results you know you won't see the Apple watch and the ECG app are not able to detect a heart attack or a stroke or other heart issues so if you do feel like you have something else wrong be sure to talk to your doctor once you've gone through the prompts it's time to take your first ECG return to your Apple watch and open the ECG app that we just looked at a moment ago instead of always having to go to the app directly if you use it frequently you can set it up as a complication on your favorite Apple watch face then you need to make sure the Apple watch is on the correct wrist it just needs to line up with the selection you made in the Settings app and you're good to go there is no Start button simply place your finger on the digital crown and let the thirty seconds countdown you'll see a real-time waveform going across the screen and your heart rate in that upper left-hand corner and yes when you run around before filming a video you end up with an elevated heart rate that a lot of people will point out in the comments funny enough the first time that we took the ECG on our new Apple watch after installing the update we got inconclusive doesn't really tell you a lot and it does warn you if you get this reading quite often you should probably double check with your doctor to make sure everything is okay luckily for us after repeating the test many many times making this video we got a normal sinus rhythm every other time once you've finished the test you can return to your iPhone as we are in the middle of the setup process and it'll give you a rundown of your results somebody tap on done at the bottom if you ever want to get back to your heart rate data simply open the health app and go to heart and you have that electrocardiogram card right within the heart section in there will be all the readings that you take and additional information including PDFs that you can export and send to your doctor it's always important to take tests like this with just a little bit of skepticism Apple of course has done a ton of testing and they receive their de novo certification from the FDA but that certification is not all that robust and basically just means that it's not going to cause any harm in what it's doing apple says they connected a trial and they had 600 participants with 98.3% sensitivity in classifying a fib and 99.6% sensitivity with sinus rhythms a fib is a serious condition and it often goes undiagnosed so if this app helps at least a few people see then and get in touch with their doctor it could really help save lives once you finish taking those tests there is additional information that you can add so here we got normal sinus rhythm but we go down to the bottom if something is wrong we don't feel great we can call mergency services right from the ECG app or I can add additional notes such as other symptoms that I'm feeling like skipped heartbeats fainting dizziness or others all of this gets tied into that PDF that you can export to your doctor according to the CDC a that can affect up to 2% of those under 65 and 9% of those above so Apple is primarily just trying to bring attention and awareness to those problems Apple watch doesn't show a lot of information on the watch itself so anytime you take an ECG it'll show up on your iPhone within Notification Center tap on the card and you're brought into the health app and you can view all of your data as we mentioned choose any of the tests that you ran you get a little bit more information on it and there is that button that says share via PDF tapping on that PDF icon allows you to generate that PDF saving the file save it to an email whatever it may be to export out of the health app and get it to the right person as we mentioned in our Apple watch series for review Apple really nailed what the Apple watch is best at and that's health features and getting information and the ECG is more in that direction it helps you look at different heart rate features that you never would have looked at before and hopefully will help a few people along the way they may have some undiagnosed issues so what do you think of the ECG em have you tried it on your Apple watch let us know how it worked out for you down below in the comments if you enjoyed this video like it and hit that subscribe button also check out a price guide which makes it extremely easy to find the best deals and Apple products updated daily be sure to follow us on social media and we'll see you in the next video\n"
