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Apr 12, 2001
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The Apple Watch could be used to check for symptoms of a heart attack (myocardial infarction), research published in the Texas Heart Institute Journal suggests (via MyHealthyApple).

apple-watch-ecg-wrist.jpg

Myocardial infarction occurs when parts of the heart muscle do not receive enough oxygen because there is a block in the blood flow to the heart. Researchers from the Texas Heart Institute have been studying using the Apple Watch to help diagnose myocardial infarction symptoms using the electrocardiogram (ECG) feature on Apple Watch Series 4, 5, 6, and 7 models to record multiple ECG leads on different parts of the body.

Outcomes following a heart attack depend on how long before treatment begins. More than half of individuals with myocardial infarction die in an emergency room or before reaching a hospital within an hour of the onset of symptoms. The Apple Watch could provide a reliable analysis of heart attack risk when symptoms develop, send a clear signal to the user to seek urgent medical attention, and reduce the delay to get treatment, the research suggests.

Medical professionals usually confirm myocardial infarction using a traditional 12-lead electrocardiogram that requires specific equipment and professional training, while the Apple Watch uses a positive electrode on the back of the device and a negative electrode on the Digital Crown to record a single-lead ECG. As such, the Apple Watch could not replace hospital-grade medical equipment, but provide a new screening tool for other environments.

The researchers claim that the Apple Watch shows promise for detecting myocardial infarction as multiple studies have shown that the device can record multiple-lead ECG signals that accurately detect the ST change during a heart attack. Additional clinical data is required, but the ongoing research provides a glance at one of the new health-monitoring capabilities that could one day be an official Apple Watch feature.

Article Link: Apple Watch Could Check for Heart Attack Symptoms, Research Suggests
 
The world needs to rethink medical device testing and approval as it just takes too long. In the past I get it that it would need a long time as studies would probably only have a few thousand participants at best, but when using widely owned consumer hardware such as the Apple Watch it would be much easier to get millions of people into clinical tests. It saddens me to think how many people are going to die unnecessarily purely because approval takes so long.
 
My hypochondriac ass needs this

All this focus on health is great and that, and I love stats and analysis, the Watch however was for me was spectacularly unhealthy for my mental health. Until they allow people to "pause" completing the circles, I will never buy another. Maintaining my streak become a very unhealthy obsession.
 
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It’s been proved times and times again that the single lead Apple Watch ECG is as accurate as hospital machines.

Clearly, you need several leads to fully diagnose the problem, but one is enough to become aware of it in the first place.
I wish I could give this 10 thumbs up. I am what I would consider a quite healthy, middle aged man. My Apple Watch alerted me that something was not right with effectively no physical symptoms. The next day, my doctor was able to accurately diagnose a heart condition that I have and I am now under the care of a cardiologist. I am OK, but it will be something to monitor for the rest of my life.

I never once thought of it as a doctor on my wrist, but rather an additional tool.
 
Please tell me where you administer your "skills". I'll make sure never to go there! As someone with multiple coronary stents and very atypical cardiac presentations, I would never trust anyone with your attitude.
Exactly this! Some medical personnel don't listen to their patients. They have the attitude that "Oh I went to school so don't tell me what your problem is... I know already!."

Yes the AW isn't accurate like an EKG or anything like that. Just like your household smoke detector it can give a false alarm. That doesn't mean not to have a smoke detector. I had my AW let me know I had a high heart rate and it turns out it was correct and caused by Covid... I wouldn't have went to the ER and been diagnosed if it wasn't for my AW. Many many many people have been saved by their AW. This whole negative attitude by a few in the medical profession is dumb!
 
Can someone explain why both the AW and the Galaxy Watches have ECG, but so far I've only seen stories about the Apple Watch alarming users about potential health issues? What is different between the two, is the AW's sensor more capable?
 
Can someone explain why both the AW and the Galaxy Watches have ECG, but so far I've only seen stories about the Apple Watch alarming users about potential health issues? What is different between the two, is the AW's sensor more capable?
I don't know about the Galaxy watch but it's not really the ECG feature that deserves the credit. That's the thing where you put your finger from your other hand on the watch. What so far has been catching a lot of things is the regular heart rate sensor. It can detect if it's low, high, or irregular.

I would guess the Galaxy watch heart rate sensor is just as capable but maybe the software isn't? Also it could be just numbers. The Apple Watch is significantly more popular than any other watch so it's going to be on many more wrists.
 
Can someone explain why both the AW and the Galaxy Watches have ECG, but so far I've only seen stories about the Apple Watch alarming users about potential health issues? What is different between the two, is the AW's sensor more capable?

Biggest difference = Marketing.
 
I’ll stick with the Rolex thanks. What this watch does now is cause more fear in people and you’re all probably wondering how?
When you wear a normal watch, nobody cares about what their heart rate is or how many steps they take. Ignorance is bliss and what you’re betting off not knowing won’t hurt you, what we have now is 99.9% of apple users who are constantly going to be checking their heart rate and end up having panic attacks when they see that’s it’s going up …” OMG MY HEART RATE IS 120”….and then you panic and it goes higher and higher until you end up in A&E with a heart attack. This heart attack thing to me is marketing BS, I’ve been told numerous times that apple watches have brung people into A&E when they didn’t even need to be there because of false data. I heard one story of an apple watch registering 150bpm and his heart rate was 90, so they are grossly exaggerated. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if some brainwashing was going on and influencing you to purchase apple products through the watches subliminal messages.
 
Exactly this! Some medical personnel don't listen to their patients. They have the attitude that "Oh I went to school so don't tell me what your problem is... I know already!."

Yes the AW isn't accurate like an EKG or anything like that. Just like your household smoke detector it can give a false alarm. That doesn't mean not to have a smoke detector. I had my AW let me know I had a high heart rate and it turns out it was correct and caused by Covid... I wouldn't have went to the ER and been diagnosed if it wasn't for my AW. Many many many people have been saved by their AW. This whole negative attitude by a few in the medical profession is dumb!
Some doctors forget that they are only practicing medicine their entire
Career. They have a lot of training but there is still far more they don’t know about the human body than they do. They are also practicing “Medicine” and are trained by a system created by the families that owned the two largest pharmaceutical 100 years ago. It’s the reason drugs are the primary focus instead of nutrition.
 
I’ll stick with the Rolex thanks. What this watch does now is cause more fear in people and you’re all probably wondering how?
Rolex is a nice watch. I'll give you that!
When you wear a normal watch, nobody cares about what their heart rate is or how many steps they take. Ignorance is bliss and what you’re betting off not knowing won’t hurt you, what we have now is 99.9% of apple users who are constantly going to be checking their heart rate and end up having panic attacks when they see that’s it’s going up …” OMG MY HEART RATE IS 120”….and then you panic and it goes higher and higher until you end up in A&E with a heart attack.
Well you have to know you. If you're going to panic or have some mental issues with OCD maybe an Apple Watch isn't for you. Everyone is different so it's not a one size fits all. The only time I check my heart rate is when I'm exercising and that's not very often. It's not out of fear but just curiosity.

If I have a problem it'll let me know and it has once. It didn't save my life but it made me get medical care that I needed. I don't need to check or worry about it. If anything it makes me worry less knowing it's doing it's thing. Of course not everyone will act the same way so as I said only you can decide what's best for you.

This heart attack thing to me is marketing BS, I’ve been told numerous times that apple watches have brung people into A&E when they didn’t even need to be there because of false data. I heard one story of an apple watch registering 150bpm and his heart rate was 90, so they are grossly exaggerated.
No it's not marketing BS. It's a real thing and yes you can be ignorant of a heart condition and still die from it. My dad passed away from a heart attack without ever knowing he had any heart problems.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if some brainwashing was going on and influencing you to purchase apple products through the watches subliminal messages.
That sounds a bit conspiracy theory ish. How would they give you subliminal messages through the watch. If they tried I'm sure someone would catch them doing it. There are people who do nothing but analyze everything like this.
 
Some doctors forget that they are only practicing medicine their entire
Career. They have a lot of training but there is still far more they don’t know about the human body than they do. They are also practicing “Medicine” and are trained by a system created by the families that owned the two largest pharmaceutical 100 years ago. It’s the reason drugs are the primary focus instead of nutrition.
There are lots of good doctors and medical personnel. I think just doing the job for so long gets to some and they lose focus of why they're doing what they're doing. It's the same way with some IT people. As to the medical system and drug companies you're correct and it's a total mess! I wish it could be better.
 
Only problem is a lot of myocardial infarcts are Non ST Elevation (NSTEMI) which show no ecg/ekg changes and are detected by high cardiac enzymes only so this function could cause false reassurance to patients with chest pain - like the one I had......
 
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