Apple Watch heart rate monitor
El Apple Watch heart rate monitor is by far, much better than we all thought initially and, in theory, could bring us great medical advances. One of these advances is said soon, but by no means is it a minor advance. Is about predict heart attacks before they occur.
Developer Brad Larson went out for a run one day and, at the end of his activity, compared the results that the Apple Watch had given him with the results of another monitor he was wearing at the time. According to his impressions, the fact that the Apple Watch does not have the approval of the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) as a medical device does not make it far from an imprecise device, being practically at the same level as an electrocardiogram.
Larson compared the results of the Apple Watch with a Mio Alpha heart rate monitor, which is highly valued for its EKG accuracy. The Mio Alpha takes samples once every three seconds and the Cupertino smartwatch does it once every 5 seconds, but the readings are practically identical. A picture is worth a thousand words.
With this precision, the Apple Watch could be very beneficial for studying heart disease. Currently, patients have to go to visit the doctor or a hospital to run on a treadmill and receive an EKG reading. Combine the results of everyday life with the results of more demanding activities could help researchers understand more about heart performance.
Apple would need FDA approval to display EKG data or make medical recommendations, but medical technology expert Euan Thomson says the watch is cleared by the FDA to monitor this data and the software could be used to warn users of impending heart attacks or move faster in the investigation.
Thomson's company was the first to receive FDA approval on a mobile device with an EKG monitor. It also has an FDA approved algorithm that can detect atrial fibrillation (irregular, faster rhythm, or a rhythm that could cause poor blood flow) in its iOS app.
Receiving FDA approval will be the rock on the hard road to get around, but Apple has already shown an interest in helping medical research with HealthKit and ResearchKit. As well there is a disabled oximeter inside the Apple Watch and they have hired a team of medical experts. It seems that they have something more important in mind than being a simple physical activity bracelet.
Less if you have a clear wrist tattoo ...
The heart rate sensor is very accurate as has been shown in various tests. They even say that there is a hidden O2 saturation sensor that could one day see the light. But from there to predicting heart attacks ... We are still light years away.
Today it is impossible to predict a heart attack with the most advanced medical technologies. Much less with an Apple Watch. Monitoring your heart rate is very different from an EKG (electrocardiogram) recording. The EKG not only informs us of the frequency, but it also tells us about the electrical activity of the heart, which is what is used to diagnose a heart attack. The Apple Watch does nothing about the electrical activity of the heart. But in addition, even this EKG is not enough on many occasions, we need blood tests to be able to make a complete evaluation.
I don't know what technologies these researchers will have, but it seems to me that what they have done rather is daydreaming.
Another thing is the medical utility for other pathologies, such as atrial fibrillation or AV blocks, which do have a direct impact on the heart rate. Here if this type of device has a lot to say and will help many patients.
spoke the medical expert.
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Damn device for consumers, it seems that there is nothing else in the world.