That more people will finally go to see a cardiologist. Finally. Considering the obesity rate in the US, this is a good thing.
The frequent misconception held by lay commenters is that all cardiac problems are heart attacks and that the patients fit a typical profile of poor diet and lack of exercise. Thus, they think this new feature is detecting heart attacks. Actually, it's detecting abnormal heart rhythms, which are usually not fatal in themselves, but can result in a fatal stroke if left untreated for too long. To simplify things: in atrial fibrillation, the upper and lower chambers of the heart (atria and ventricles respectively) are not working in sync, so the ventricles are not fully filled up before they pump the blood out. The heart is working less efficiently, so your exercise tolerance is reduced; and there can be blood pooling in the chambers instead of being pumped out. That can clot and cause a stroke.
The case described in the Time article is a pretty typical example of what the device and app really
can do. Persistent atrial fibrillation isn't easy to diagnose without an ECG: you might feel less fit than usual, or be vaguely aware of your heart. In my case, I probably went a week before seeing my doctor. In the case in the article, the app was able to point out immediately that there was a problem. The patient saw his doctor, who confirmed the AF, probably put the patient on an anticoagulant medication to prevent clotting, and probably had a cardioversion, an RF ablation or other procedure to get the heart back into normal sinus rhythm and keep it there.
Once you know you have a history of AF, you can use the watch (or in my case a Kardia device) to monitor your rate and rhythm. I've subsequently had two AF episodes since my first one, both detected within minutes with the Kardia, and
it also helped my cardiologist and me figure out that some chest pain I was having was a side effect of my medication rather than another heart problem. Because I could check my ECG at any time and because we had a good management plan for any AF recurrence, I was able to discontinue the medication, which is all the better for maintaining my normal activity and exercise.
