#ECG feature in WatchOS 5.1.2

[planetconceptapple]

What’s new in watchOS 5.1.2 [Video]

A day after the release of iOS 12.1.1, the Apple Watch received its last major software update of 2018 with watchOS 5.1.2. The anticipated update includes the ECG app that Apple demonstrated on stage in September for performing single-lead-style Electrocardiograms. In this hands-on video walkthrough, we take the ECG app for a test drive, and briefly discuss the other new changes and features that arrive alongside watchOS 5.1.2. more…

The post What’s new in watchOS 5.1.2 [Video] appeared first on 9to5Mac.

source https://9to5mac.com/2018/12/07/whats-new-in-watchos-5-1-2-video/

[ready-jet-go]

Slashdot: Apple Watch Series 4 ECG, Irregular Heart Rate Features Are Now Available

Apple Watch Series 4 ECG, Irregular Heart Rate Features Are Now Available Published on December 06, 2018 at 06:40PM An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Today, with an update to watchOS, Apple is making its electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) reading feature available to Apple Watch Series 4 owners. It's also releasing an irregular rate notification feature that will be available on Apple Watches going back to Series 1. Both are a part of watchOS 5.1.2. To take an EKG, you open up the EKG app on the Watch and lightly rest your index finger on the crown for 30 seconds. The Watch then acts like a single-lead EKG to read your heart rhythm and record it into the Health app on your phone. From there, you can create a PDF report to send to your doctor. The irregular heart rate monitoring is passive. Apple says that it checks your rhythm every two hours or so (depending on whether you're stationary or not), and if there are five consecutive readings that seem abnormal, it will alert you and suggest you reach out to a doctor. If you have been previously diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, Apple's setup process tells you not to use the feature. Apple tells me these features are most definitely not diagnostic tools. In fact, before you can activate either of them, you will need to page through several screens of information that try to put their use into context and warn you to contact your doctor if needed. They are also not the sort of features Apple expects users to really use on a regular basis. The EKG feature, in particular, should only really be used if you feel something abnormal going on, and then you should only share the resulting report with your doctor, not act on it directly. Angela Chen from The Verge notes that these features have only received "clearance" from the FDA, which is not the same thing as FDA "approval": The Apple Watch is in Class II. For Class II and Class I, the FDA doesn't give "approval," it just gives clearance. Class I and Class II products are lower-risk products -- as [Jon Speer, co-founder of Greenlight Guru] puts it, a classic Class I example is something like a tongue depressor -- and it's much easier to get clearance than approval.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

[techbotic]

Apple’s anticipated ECG app rolls out today in watchOS 5.1.2

Enlarge (credit: Valentina Palladino)

The newest update for Apple Watches is out now, bringing a highly anticipated feature to Series 4 devices. Apple pushed out watchOS 5.1.2 today, which includes its ECG app for monitoring irregular heartbeats.

Apple Watch Series 4 devices all have built-in electrodes that can measure electrocardiograms, or ECGs. At the time of the Watch's debut in September, Apple's native app with which the electrodes communicate wasn't ready for consumer use. Now, it's rolling out as part of the watchOS 5.1.2 update.

The ECG app is for the Watch itself, while ECG data gets stored in Apple's Health app on iOS devices. To take an ECG reading, users must place their finger on the flat side of the Digital Crown on their Series 4 Watch. The electrode on the Digital Crown communicates with the other electrode on the Watch, which sits near the heart rate monitor, to take a complete ECG measurement.

Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Apple’s anticipated ECG app rolls out today in watchOS 5.1.2 published first on https://medium.com/@CPUCHamp

[thedreamskeepmealive]

Apple enables electrocardiogram on Watch Series 4 with watchOS 5.1.2

When Apple announced the Watch Series 4 in September a big focus was placed on the smartwatch' ability to perform an electrocardiogram. But the feature was unavailable at launch. Now, Apple is activating it in the US through watchOS update 5.1.2. The update adds the ECG app to Watch Series 4 devices in the States (where the ECG is currently only available) and also unlocks irregular heart rate warnings on all Apple Watch from Series 1 through to Series 4. The Apple Watch will passively read your heart rate in the background and will warn you if it spots a suspicious pattern. As...

source https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_enables_electrocardiogram_on_watch_series_4_with_watchos_512-news-34590.php

[dizzedcom]

The Apple Watch’s ECG feature goes live today

The Apple Watch’s ECG feature goes live today

ECG/EKG was easily the new Apple Watch’s most lauded feature. It’s also been the most delayed. Of course, this kind of serious health feature is the sort of thing you need to get exactly right, for reasons that ought to be pretty obvious on their face.

Electrocardiogram finally goes live today for Series 4 owners as part of the watchOS 5.1.2 update. It’s an important feature — and one that will…

[un-enfant-immature]

The Apple Watch’s ECG feature goes live today

ECG/EKG was easily the new Apple Watch’s most lauded feature. It’s also been the most delayed. Of course, this kind of serious health feature is the sort of thing you need to get exactly right, for reasons that ought to be pretty obvious on their face.

Electrocardiogram finally goes live today for Series 4 owners as part of the watchOS 5.1.2 update. It’s an important feature — and one that will go a ways toward helping establish the wearable as a more serious health monitor.

The new feature builds on a hardware upgrade built into the Series 4: a pair of electrodes built into the larger back crystal on the rear of the watch and the digital crown. Once enabled, the new feature is checking for a couple of key bits of heart health: irregular heart rhythms, which the watch will passively monitor in the background, and ECG, which requires the user to actively engage with by completing the circuit with a finger tip placed on the edge of the watch’s digital crown.

Of course, getting all of this isn’t as simple as just installing a software update. There is, understandably, a pretty long opt-in here. The on-boarding process is several pages long for both of the new features, as Apple collects some vital information and repeatedly reminds you of some important information — like the fact that the watch can’t detect a heart attack. If you feel like you might be having one, call the emergency services.

The Apple Watch isn’t meant to replace a doctor either, of course. Really, it’s just a way to monitor for complications. If the smartwatch can be regarded as a potential lifesaver or even peripheral medical device, it’s due to the fact that it features a kind of always-on monitoring. After all, outside of the proliferation of these sorts of wearables, most of us won’t experience something like constant ECG monitoring until under the care of a doctor. If this feature is capable of isolating that information ahead of time, it could go a ways toward addressing complications before they turn into major issues.

The sign-up process airs on the side of caution, while attempting to not overwhelm the end user with information. It’s a tricky balance, and if TOS have taught us anything, it’s that too much information upfront will ultimately result in the user’s eyes glazing over. In the case of this information, that could potentially lead to serious consequences if not properly adhered to.

Some of the key takeaways:

It cannot detect a heart attack (see a doctor)

It cannot detect blood clots or a stroke (see a doctor)

It cannot detect other heart-related conditions (see a doctor)

[It] is not constantly looking for AFib

That last one is particularly important when distinguishing between the new features. While heart rhythm detection is a feature, the Watch isn’t regularly looking for atrial fibrillation. That’s where the ECG app and the finger detection come in. The feature is intended to be used when the heart rhythm monitor detects that something is off — like a skipped or rapid heartbeat. In which case, it will send a notification right to your wrist.

If that happens, fire up the ECG app, rest your arm on your lap or a table and hold your finger to the crown for 30 seconds. Apple will display a real-time graph of your heart rhythm while you wait. It’s strangely soothing, honestly, though Apple doesn’t recommend using the feature with much regularity, unless you have cause to.

Using it just now, I got a “This ECG does not show signs of atrial fibrillation” note, meaning the reading falls within the parameters of a sinus rhythm.

Here’s your old friends at WebMD:

Your heart’s job is to pump blood to your body. When it’s working the way it should, it pumps to a regular, steady beat. This is called a normal sinus rhythm. When it’s not, you could have an irregular heartbeat called AFib.

So, good. No need to call the doctor. If you’re still feeling unwell, however, there’s a quick link to dial emergency services on the screen. There’s also a spot for adding any symptoms you might be having if you’re feeling less than 100 percent. And while Apple promises not to share any of the info collected on-device, you can always export your findings to a PDF for your doctor to take a gander at.

Along with the new feature comes a new White Paper, detailing the technology. It’s an usual bit of transparency from Apple, but the company understandably wants to be as upfront about the technology as possible. The paper details a lot of what went into bringing the feature up to speed for general availability.

Apple started with a pre-clinical study of 2,000 subjects, including ~15 percent who have been diagnosed with heart arrhythmia. Six-hundred subjects were then involved with the clinical trial to validate the AFib.

Per Apple, “Rhythm classification of a 12-lead ECG by a cardiologist was compared to the rhythm classification of a simultaneously collected ECG from the ECG app. The ECG app demonstrated 98.3% sensitivity in classifying AFib and 99.6% specificity in classifying sinus rhythm in classifiable recordings.”

The company employed similar methods to validate the Irregular Rhythm notifications. “Of the participants that wore an Apple Watch and ECG patch at the same time,” the company writes, “almost 80 percent received the notification and showed AFib on the ECG patch, and 98 percent received the notification and showed other clinically relevant arrhythmias on the ECG patch.”

In addition to that testing, the company has also employed a number of medical doctors to help ensure the product meets the sort of exacting standards one would hope from a product like this.

More information on the research can be found in this Stanford partnered paper published earlier this month.

[readnewseveryday]

New ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 alerted user to A-fib heart issue

New ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 alerted user to A-fib heart issue

New ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 alerted user to A-fib heart issue

Apple rolled out the watchOS 5.1.2 with electrocardiogram (ECG) and irregular heart rate features two days ago, and it “probably saved” the life of an Apple Watch Series 4 user. 

One Reddit user shared that he updated his smartwatch and tried out the new features. There were abnormal heart rate notifications which prompted…

[czhang11ubio-blog]

A Guide to Using Apple Watch’s Heart Rate Features, Including ECG

ONE THING THAT makes smartwatches increasingly valuable is their inclusion of biosensors, little modules that keep tabs on what's happening with your body, whether you're an athlete running a marathon or somebody who just decided to get up off the couch. And one of the most useful health metrics a smartwatch can track is your heart rate. Appleknows this, and, as part of an effort to make the Apple Watch a more alluring accessory for iPhone owners, the company is focusing intently on building advanced heart-rate monitoring into its best-selling wearable.

A software update rolling out today will include an optional app for Apple Watch Series 4 that takes ECG (electrocardiogram) readings through the new device's specially designed sensors. That same software update will allow older Apple Watches without the redesigned sensors to detect irregular heart rhythms. Both of these enhancements are supposed to help wearers identify signs of atrial fibrillation, a condition identified by a rapid or irregular heartbeat that can lead to serious heart complications.

Apple made a splash when it announced these features at its annual hardware event in September, partly because the ECG app had been cleared by the FDA (which, it's worth keeping in mind, is different from FDA approval). But, even if you don't have the latest hardware and can't take advantage of the ECG app, there are plenty of heart-rate tracking features to dive into on the Apple Watch. It's a lot; here's a short guide.

Heartware Limitations

Let's start with the basics: the ECG app and notifications around irregular heart rate rhythms are rolling out as a part of a watchOS update for Apple Watch. The latest software is watchOS 5.1.2. Apple Watch updates can take an extremely long time for such a little gadget—you may wait more than an hour—and at the time of publication, I hadn't installed the update myself yet. My experience with the ECG app was on a loaner watch Apple provided. But hopefully, the update process has improved.

The ECG app will only work on Apple Watch Series 4. That's because that watch has electrodes built into the back of the watch, as well as electrical heart sensors in the watch's crown. Older Apple Watches don't have this.

All Apple Watches, however, do have the same optical heart rate sensors. That means that, with this latest software update, Apple Watch Series 1 and later watches will attempt to track irregular heart rhythms, and therefore will potentially be able detect atrial fibrillation.

How to Use the ECG App

Before you start using the ECG app on the Apple Watch Series 4, you'll have to first go through the onboarding process in the Apple Health app on iPhone. Same with setting up notifications for possible signs of Afib. It requires scooting back and forth between the iPhone's Watch app, the iPhone's Health app, and the Apple Watch itself. But once the setup is done, you shouldn't have to go through it again.

Apple has made a point to say (many times) that the ECG app is not a diagnostic tool; and that it's really not supposed to be used just for kicks. You're supposed to give it a go when you're feeling symptoms like a rapid or skipped heartbeat. Or, you can use it when you get a notification that the watch has detected an especially high or low heart rate, or some other irregularity.

That said, taking an ECG reading is straightforward. You open the ECG app on the Apple Watch, rest your watch-equipped arm somewhere, and press the index finger of your opposite hand against the Apple Watch's crown for 30 seconds. Occasionally, it might say recording stopped due to a poor reading, which happened to me a couple times when the watch's underside wasn't flat against my wrist—so make sure the back of the watch is in full contact with your wrist. The app then shows results right on the watch; for example, it might say it detected a sinus rhythm, which means your heart is beating in a uniform pattern. It also shares the findings with your iPhone's Health app.

So far, in the time that I've been wearing the loaner Apple Watch with the latest software, I haven't received an irregular heart rhythm notification. And there's really no way to "test" whether it's accurate if I don't have the problem it's looking for. Using the ECG app is an active experience. You open the app on Apple Watch and take that 30-second reading. The irregular heart rhythm detection, on the other hand, is a passive thing; you'll only get a notification if the watch detects a problem after taking multiple background readings.

Exercise Your Options

One of the key features to look for on any wrist-based tracker is its ability to measure your spikes in heart rate during intense exercise activities. The Apple Watch has done this since the product's origin, though over time, the company has tweaked the way the device tracks your heart rate during periods of exercise.

The Apple Watch can't diagnose you with anything. It's supposed to point you toward meaningful data and maybe encourage you to act if there are signs something may be wrong.

For example, with the rollout of watchOS 4 in 2017, the Apple Watch starting showing a "Workout Recovery Rate" after an exercise session. This bit of data lets you know how quickly your heart returns to its regular resting rate after a workout. You'll have to actually record the workout on the watch (using the green Workout app) in order to see your recovery rate, though. After that, it's not easy to find. After ending the workout, you have to scroll down through the workout summary and tap on the tiny heart icon, which brings you to the Heart Rate app. Your recovery rate can be found there.

Over the last few years, Apple has also upped the watch's sampling rate—its frequency of heart-rate measurements, which are taken automatically in the background as you go about your business. A software update in September 2016 changed the all-day sample rate from once every ten minutes to once every five minutes. Apple won't share specifics on how the sample rate during exercise routines has changed in this watchOS update, but fitness wearables are often designed to sample heart rate most frequently when you indicate that you're exercising.

Rest(ing) Up

The Apple Watch will also show you your resting heart rate, although my understanding is that Apple's approach is different from heart rate monitors that are designed to be worn overnight. That's the thing about Apple Watch, and one of my biggest quibbles with it: Because its battery only lasts between a day and a day and a half, it's not really meant for tracking your sleep. You can't get an overnight or a first-thing-in-the-morning heart rate reading if your watch is on the charging pad atop your nightstand.

Instead, the watch will sample your heart rate once you're wearing it, and continue to measure it until it has sampled enough to algorithmically determine a resting heart rate reading. Sometimes this means it won't appear until after you've worked out or arrived at work.

All Day Every Day

Even if you're not interacting with your Apple Watch's heart rate features directly, the Watch is periodically taking those background readings. It will record your average resting rate as well as your walking average heart rate. In watchOS 4, it also started recording heart rate variability, or any variation in the time between heartbeats, a few times a day.

And if you just want to check out your current heartbeat from time to time, or compare it to a reading from a pulse oximeter in a doctor's office like I did recently for fun, you can do that by tapping on the heart rate app (a gray app with the red outline of a heart) on the Watch.

Appsolutely Healthy

If you're really interested in diving into the Apple Watch's heart rate tracking features, plan to spend a lot of time in the Health app and the Activity app, both on the iPhone. This is where all the health data from the watch eventually goes, and there are just limitations around how much granular data you can view on a tiny little wrist computer.

The easiest way to get there in the Health app is to open the app and go to the Health Data tab, next to the Today tab, on the bottom of the app screen. Then go to Heart (third menu option) and you can see your heart rate data by category and also by hour, day, week, month, and year.

On the Watch itself you can see what your heart rate was during an exercise session that occurred that day. But reviewing your heart rate from a historical workout session is a bit more complicated. For that, you'll have to go to the Activity app on your iPhone; select the day; scroll down to Workouts, tap on that; and there you'll see a graph of your heart rate during that particular activity.

Doctor's Orders

The Apple Watch (and really, any smartwatch or wrist wearable that's sold directly to consumers) comes with so many health-tracking caveats that there are too many to list here.

The most important thing to remember is that the Apple Watch can't diagnose you with anything; it's supposed to point you toward meaningful data and maybe encourage you to act if there are signs something may be wrong. The Watch alone can't tell you if you have Afib. In fact, as you take an ECG reading, the app displays a warning the whole time "Note: Apple Watch never checks for heart attacks."

Sure, there have been scattered stories about Apple Watch notifications alerting people to an abnormally high heart rate and saving lives. But you shouldn't rely on just the Apple Watch or any smartwatch if you're seriously concerned about your heart health.

WIRED's own Robbie Gonzalez has written a great explanation of the level of preclinical research that went into the Apple Watch's ECG app and irregular heartbeat detection features. Again, these are really more about recording data that can be shared with a physician then they are about alerting you on the spot.

The other caveat involves accuracy. When it comes to tracking heart rate during vigorous exercise, wrist wearables aren't always dead-on. A 2016 study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic using four popular wrist-wearables showed variable results. (Fitbit was even sued at one point for what the plaintiffs said were inaccurate heart rate readings during exercise; Fitbit has since improved its heart rate tracking.) In a 2017 study conducted by Stanford University researchers, the Apple Watch achieved the lowest overall error rate in heart rate monitoring, compared to six other wearables. However, none of them measured energy expenditure very well, the researchers found.

With all that said, the Apple Watch is still pushing the boundaries on what your basic wrist-worn wearable can do. And it's these kinds of health-tracking features that might make someone who once scoffed at the idea of a smartwatch actually consider one now.

Smartwatches offer a lot in today’s society, from taking calls to checking the weather without using a phone. They also contain biosensors, sensors that collect data on the body of the user for the user to use. One of the selling points of the Apple Watch is the ability of electrocardiograms, which could sense the presence of atrial fibrillation and irregular heartbeats. The update 5.1.2 allows older models to detect such signs as well. The smartwatch also records walking and resting heart rates, as well as giving more options during exercise. However, the Apple Watch is not meant to diagnose disorders, rather it is to provide supplementary data and allow the user to look for inconsistencies. The watch even provides a warning, "Note: Apple Watch never checks for heart attacks". Another flaw with wearables is that the data is not always 100% accurate. However, in a study between 4 similar wearable technologies, Apple’s watch had the lowest overall error rate in measuring heart rates.

The development and uses of technology to maintain human health are based, in part, on the changing needs of society.

The Apple Watch is an example of how technology has evolved to let humans have a better grasp on their personal health. With the innovation, there have been stories of the watch saving lives. With heart disease one of the leading causes of death in Canada, it is no wonder that technology has been made to counter it.

Reference

Goode, L. (2018, December 06). Here's How to Take an ECG Reading With Your Apple Watch. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-take-an-ecg-reading-on-apple-watch/

[100dailynews-blog]

Apple Watch ECG app launches today with watchOS 5.1.2 update

Apple Watch ECG app launches today with watchOS 5.1.2 update

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Apple Watch Series 4 owners are about to gain a potentially life-saving app. On Thursday, Apple will release a software update for Apple Watch owners that adds an ECG app to the company’s latest smartwatch.

Also: Apple Watch ECG app: How it works and what it means for the future of health

The feature was first announced by Apple back in September, alongside FDA approval for De Novo…

[planetconceptapple]

What does an inconclusive ECG result mean on Apple Watch?

With the release of watchOS 5.1.2, Apple launched its highly anticipated ECG feature for Apple Watch Series 4. While taking ECGs (electrocardiograms) is fast and easy on Apple Watch, some users may see “inconclusive results.” Follow along for a look at what this means and how to fix it.

more…

The post What does an inconclusive ECG result mean on Apple Watch? appeared first on 9to5Mac.

source https://9to5mac.com/2018/12/07/apple-watch-ecg-inconclusive-results/

[markbscotus]

The Apple Watch ECG detected something strange about my heart rhythm - CNET

The new Apple Watch update 5.1.2 to WatchOS, rolled out two new heart features that could help warn users of life-threatening conditions like afib. from Best Reviews Online https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-watch-ecg-ekg-update-5-1-2-watchos-detected-something-strange-about-my-heart-rhythm/#ftag=CADf328eec

[nbntv-blog]

The Apple Watch’s ECG feature goes live today – TechCrunch

The Apple Watch’s ECG feature goes live today – TechCrunch

[ad_1]

ECG/EKG was easily the new Apple Watch’s most lauded feature. It’s also been the most delayed. Of course, this kind of serious health feature is the sort of thing you need to get exactly right, for reasons that ought to be pretty obvious on their face.

Electrocardiogram finally goes live today for Series 4 owners as part of the watchOS 5.1.2 update. It’s an important feature — and one…

[thedreamskeepmealive]

Apple Watch Series 4 will finally gain ECG support with watchOS 5.1.2 update

Undoubtedly the most exciting feature of the new Apple Watch Series 4 is the ECG functionality. However, it isn't available yet and we are still waiting for Apple to enable it via a future update. And according to inside sources, watchOS 5.1.2 is going to be the one to bring it. The software version is currently in beta testing and isn't yet available for the public. But once it arrives, it will be able to read your heart rhythm. It can help detect atrial fibrillation or just an irregular heart rhythm. Apple promised to enable the feature by the end of this year but it's still...

source https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_watch_series_4_will_finally_gain_ecg_support_with_watchos_512_update-news-34463.php

[faithandblossoms]

Apple Watch Series 4's New ECG Feature Helps Save a Life Within a Day of Launch

Apple Watch Series 4 got the new ECG app with the new watchOS 5.1.2 update rolled out just a day ago.

[tech-only-blog]

Apple Watch 4 User Discovers A-Fib Heart Issue Through ECG Feature

Apple Watch 4 User Discovers A-Fib Heart Issue Through ECG Feature

Last week, Apple rolled out the much-anticipated ECG feature for the Apple Watch Series 4 users. The app which was bundled in the latest watchOS 5.1.2, allows the watch to do an ECG (electrocardiography) scan.

While many users got a normal “sinus” heart rhythm, some were not so lucky. According to Reddit, one Apple Watch 4 user discovered unexpected results after an ECG scan.

The watch showed…