ECG

[ipooed]

I am looking for information on the Apple Watch, more specifically the ECG function. My father in law has recently had a heart attack (last week) and is back in the hospital again.

He lives alone and I am looking for something to ease his mind a bit. Is the ECG app only available for the newest AW4? Is the app available yet? Are their any other smart watches on the market currently that have the ECG function?

 

[Ghost31]

To answer your questions: the ecg isn’t available yet but will be in an update soon. Yes it’s available only on the s4. And nothing else on the market currently has this feature as far as I know.

As a caregiver, I totally second the idea of getting this for someone with medical issues. The health reports, activity tracking and easy access to 911 is awesome and can save lives

 

[ipooed]

To answer your questions: the ecg isn’t available yet but will be in an update soon. Yes it’s available only on the s4. And nothing else on the market currently has this feature as far as I know.

As a caregiver, I totally second the idea of getting this for someone with medical issues. The health reports, activity tracking and easy access to 911 is awesome and can save lives

I am in Canada so I doubt the ECG app will be available when it drops in the US.

I am wondering if just a regular Apple Watch will suffice, if heart problems arise if the watch will notice and alert him?

I wasn’t interested in any smart watches until now and going back and fourth to the hospital and trying to read about them is getting frustrating.

 

[FranknStein7]

Not to be a debbie downer, but people need to realize that the ECG functionality is only single lead. This is not very sensitive for detecting ST changes and other signs indicative of ischemia. Single lead is more useful for detecting abnormal rhythms like atrial fibrillation. A single lead is still better than nothing though, I suppose. Resting heart rate is a useful feature though, which the Apple Watch can already do. If you want ECG functionality and don't want to wait, there are solutions like this: https://www.amazon.com/Alivecor-KardiaBand-Wearable-Wristband-30-Second/dp/B01N1I34W5?th=1.

 

[Southern Dad]

The ECG function can be had by purchasing one of two products from Alivecor for $99. I’ve been using it since I received heartbeat warnings from my Apple Watch Series 3.

 

[Funsize93]

When it drops to the US, just change your Apple ID/devices country and region to the US. That will let you download and use the app. Then switch back when the feature finally drops in your country.

 

[tl01]

Can you order the KardiaBand or AliveCor in Canada? Those can do the same thing the S4 will be able to do.

 

[tromboneaholic]

I am wondering if just a regular Apple Watch will suffice, if heart problems arise if the watch will notice and alert him?

To actually answer your question:

Series 4 has fall detection and will notify contacts and emergency services if he falls and is immobile for one minute. Aside from the larger screen and improved performance, this is the biggest difference to consider in your father in law's case.

Otherwise, Series 3 would indeed offer warnings if his heart rate becomes too elevated or drops too low.

 

[Southern Dad]

My Series 3 sent me notifications that my heart rate was elevated several times. This caused me to get the Alivecor Kardia, and go to my doctor. I would not have even known there was an issue had it not been for the Apple Watch.

I purchased the Series 4 and will be switching.

 

[newellj]

The Kardia products are single-lead, as the Apple product is/will be.

I have a lifetime history of various cardiac issues and tried the Kardia band. I did not find it satisfactory. In order to get reasonable readings, I had to wear the band quite tight, and unlike the perforated Nike bands that I usually wear, it's solid, and gave me skin irritation issues.

Also, unlike what I expect we will get from the Apple version, you cannot store data unless you subscribe to AliveCor's fairly expensive premium plan. For me, that was a significant issue.

Another issue that I expect will probably be true with the Apple version, due to the single-lead limitations, is that the data frankly wasn't very useful. I got some warnings and made recordings that I sent to AliveCor for analysis. What I got back was: inconclusive, need more/better data. Well, heck...that wasn't very useful or a very good use of my cash.

AliveCor says that the KardiaBand can be shipped Canada, which is a plus, sine Apple hasn't told us anything about regulatory clearance anywhere but in the US and it's fair to expect some delay given Apple's silence on that.

My bottom line: don't expect more than the products can actually deliver, which is somewhat limited.

 

[akash.nu]

When it drops to the US, just change your Apple ID/devices country and region to the US. That will let you download and use the app. Then switch back when the feature finally drops in your country.

It’s not just about downloading an app separately. iOS 12.1 will only make it available to be recorded within the US because other countries didn’t approve the feature yet.

 

[Southern Dad]

Alivecor has a second product that is a small finger pad. This syncs with the iPhone and can be used without the $99 per year plan. A PDF of each reading can be emailed to your doctor or yourself.

 

[newellj]

From the website, it appears that the Kardia stand-alone reader requires the premium membership if you want to save historical readings:

Add optional Premium membership for unlimited history and storage of your EKG recordings, plus mailed monthly reports​

 

[Mabus51]

I am in Canada so I doubt the ECG app will be available when it drops in the US.

I am wondering if just a regular Apple Watch will suffice, if heart problems arise if the watch will notice and alert him?

I wasn’t interested in any smart watches until now and going back and fourth to the hospital and trying to read about them is getting frustrating.

The ECG function in the AW is really only geared for Atrial Fibrillation at this time. It’s not going to help really when it comes to all cardiac symptoms. What would help though is the fall detection and passive heart monitoring. The LTE watch can auto call his emergency contacts and the equivalent to 911 there in Canada. Those features may give you more piece of mind.

 

[Southern Dad]

From the website, it appears that the Kardia stand-alone reader requires the premium membership if you want to save historical readings:

Add optional Premium membership for unlimited history and storage of your EKG recordings, plus mailed monthly reports​

Yes, if you want to store history you have to have the $99 premium membership. If you want to use the Apple Watch app, you need the premium membership. But if you just want to take an ECG, it works. You can then email it to a doctor or yourself. This is what I am using until my AW4 will do it.

 

[Jefe's MacAir]

Not to be a debbie downer, but people need to realize that the ECG functionality is only single lead. This is not very sensitive for detecting ST changes and other signs indicative of ischemia. Single lead is more useful for detecting abnormal rhythms like atrial fibrillation. A single lead is still better than nothing though, I suppose. Resting heart rate is a useful feature though, which the Apple Watch can already do. If you want ECG functionality and don't want to wait, there are solutions like this: https://www.amazon.com/Alivecor-KardiaBand-Wearable-Wristband-30-Second/dp/B01N1I34W5?th=1.

While it may be single lead, it's the algorithm/code that makes it different and "better". And why the American Heart Assoc. is promoting its use.

 

[Funsize93]

It’s not just about downloading an app separately. iOS 12.1 will only make it available to be recorded within the US because other countries didn’t approve the feature yet.

How do you think it would be implemented?

I would have thought it would be a downloadable App or an IOS update for that region. What about American customers who travel overseas? Would that mean that their devices suddenly lose the feature once abroad? What about American customers who change their Apple ID or device region quite often because of said travelling. I would have thought it would be similar like how Siri was not available in New Zealand a while back. People who set up their devices as New Zealand could not setup Siri, however you could work around that by choosing a different country in the device setup. I assume it would be similar as all Apple watch series 4 models have the same hardware and it is only software that brings the feature.

 

[akash.nu]

How do you think it would be implemented?

I would have thought it would be a downloadable App or an IOS update for that region. What about American customers who travel overseas? Would that mean that their devices suddenly lose the feature once abroad? What about American customers who change their Apple ID or device region quite often because of said travelling. I would have thought it would be similar like how Siri was not available in New Zealand a while back. People who set up their devices as New Zealand could not setup Siri, however you could work around that by choosing a different country in the device setup. I assume it would be similar as all Apple watch series 4 models have the same hardware and it is only software that brings the feature.

It will be enabled as a feature within the OS based on device ID & region. No separate app I’d think.

 

[tromboneaholic]

It will be enabled as a feature within the OS based on device ID & region. No separate app I’d think.

On the web in the US, Apple actually says "ECG app coming later this year." Although we'll have to see if they mean a Watch-only App, an iOS App with a separate Watch App, or something else...

 

[akash.nu]

On the web in the US, Apple actually says "ECG app coming later this year." Although we'll have to see if they mean a Watch-only App, an iOS App with a separate Watch App, or something else...

It might be a separate app but like default iOS app. People shouldn’t be able to download because not every country has approved that feature yet.

 

[tromboneaholic]

It might be a separate app but like default iOS app. People shouldn’t be able to download because not every country has approved that feature yet.

I suspect it will be similar to the recent story where someone moved from one country to another and lost a movie in iTunes (Toy Story, I think) when they changed their the Apple ID account to a different country where that version of the movie was not available.

 

[akash.nu]

I suspect it will be similar to the recent story where someone moved from one country to another and lost a movie in iTunes (Toy Story, I think) when they changed their the Apple ID account to a different country where that version of the movie was not available.

That’s just normal for any AppStore app. Let’s see what apple comes up with.

 

[Easttime]

I’m still waiting to see the professional papers describing the technology and Bayesian characteristics.