The ECG feature of Apple Watch 4 could save lives – but is your heart compatible?

Apple has upgraded its Watch range to detect irregular heartbeats in a larger number of countries, but I can not use one of the best features.

If you did not already know, the Apple Watch 4 can now perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) test from your wrist in the UK and Europe (functions were deployed in the US). 39; last year) and all models in the Watch series can detect the signs of atrial fibrillation (AF), where the two chambers of your heart are no longer synchronized.

Having this little monitor on the wrist and constantly checking if I'm at risk of a stroke (the AF Association says 500,000 people in the UK might have an undiagnosed AF) seems like a thing useful that does not require any effort – and since I am constantly running and forcing my heart, all that allows to monitor the possible negative effects provides some peace of mind.

(Image: © TechRadar)

However, some times you have used the ECG (when sitting comfortably, arms relaxed), you have received the following message: "The ECG has not been checked for autofocus because your frequency heart rate was less than 50 bpm.

To go further, Apple says that "Training to become an elite athlete can also result in a low heart rate", which is why I do not receive any AF tracking.

I mean, thanks Apple – but I'm not sure I'm really an elite. I probably run about five hours a week in a passionately poor attempt to improve the marathon race. So I'm a bit discouraged to be able to access one of the best features of this device and to make my heart swing in the background.

So why?

This leads me to a bigger question: who is it for? Apple has been marketing Apple Watch for some time now among the most active users, and while there are a large number of people with undiagnosed AF conditions, they are largely the oldest segment of the population, mostly that young people buy more and more the Apple watch.

If you look at all the features, it's clear that Apple wants to appeal to this older generation. Another feature is the detection of falls, which can alert someone if a risky wearer collapses, and cellular connectivity prevents you from doing so. You must be connected to your phone to contact someone in case you have fallen and no one has been alerted.

Add to that the tracking of the autofocus and the Apple Watch 4 – which also has a larger and more readable screen – becomes an attractive device for those who might feel vulnerable or who have problems. sight problems.

One may wonder why one even wonders why Apple would do this – after all, what's wrong with more data?

Well, this is the problem of false positives: people are informed that they are in FY and go to the hospital to check what is proving to be a benign condition.

Even though I do not receive any notification suggesting a problem with my heart after learning that my heart rate was like that of an elite athlete at workout (something that I have read while eating chocolate, for your information), I examined whether my low heart rate was something to be feared.

It turns out that it is Probably Well – that an enlarged and more efficient heart is the result of years of efforts to become faster and stronger, to run longer. But this could also mask another condition, so I want to go check this now, whereas before I would not have worried for a second.

The fact is that we are moving towards a world where clothing technologies will give us more health information than ever before, and medical systems will need to evolve to cope with the situation.

It could be an incredibly positive move. When a sufficient number of the population has connected sensors that can inform both the user and the doctor of a problem, it may be normal to have a five-minute appointment by videoconference, rather than going to surgery and spending hours in a waiting room.

Yes, there may be "nothing to be afraid of" moments, but if these are compensated by lives saved, and that does not create a huge extra pressure on health systems, then is it worth it? worth it?

Maybe it could go further. An insignificant notification of a health problem could lead to new tests and invasive surgery to investigate, which involves risks. By cons, we have already had a situation where the Apple Watch has probably prevented a stroke. It is therefore clearly advantageous that the portable devices monitor your health.

Personally, I'm not too worried that my heart is not being watched – I run in part to keep it healthy. I would like to know if I am in danger before I collapse, but in the end, there are enough things in life to worry without adding.

What I would have You see, the ECG capability of the Apple Watch is being developed for fitness applications. In the past, I used Omegawave, which used an electrocardiograph (among other equipment) to test athletes' deep fatigue, to let them know when they were ready to push harder and when they needed to rest.

The Apple Watch can not do it yet, but adding an ECG could be a step towards further monitoring fitness from a daily laptop.

Thus, although the recent upgrade of the Watch range will not have a dramatic effect on most users and will not allow you to monitor certain conditions more severely during training, this could be the beginning of something bigger and better.