KEEP A WATCH ON YOUR HEART

Dr Rajesh Javherani discusses how smart wearables can be a game-changer in monitoring health and preventing complications

- Dr Rajesh Javherani

It was 5:00 in the evening. Mr and Mrs Shah were in a movie theatre watching their favourite thriller movie when all of a sudden Mrs Shah felt intense palpitations. At first, she thought it had something to do with the scene from the movie to cause that pulsation, but when it persisted beyond a few minutes, she realised that something was definitely wrong. Her heart was racing. The couple decided to leave the theatre immediately and seek medical help. A momentary thought made Mr Shah realise that he was wearing Apple Watch Series 5 which had a feature of checking one's ECG (electrocardiogram). An electrocardiogram is a test that analyses the functioning of the heart by measuring its electric impulse. Mr Shah immediately removed his watch and put it on Mrs Shah's wrist. And just with the touch of a finger, the ECG was mapped on the watch and they realised that her heart rate was around 150 beats per minute. The ECG was then transmitted easily in PDF format to their physician. The physician immediately realised that Mrs Shah was having a condition called atrial fibrillation. He advised Mr Shah to rush Mrs Shah to the hospital and she got treated. A life was saved, thankfully due to technological innovation.

The latest Apple Watch Series 5 has its main focus on health and one of its new features is to get a single lead live ECG. Apart from the usual health parameters that a smartwatch detects (such as steps, calories burned and heart rate), Apple Watch Series 5 brings together a plethora of built-in apps for monitoring different aspects such as fitness, sleep, menstrual cycle, diet, meditation and mindfulness and a reminder app for water intake. The activity rings in the watch track the user's progress and inspires to sit less, move more and exercise every day. The new noise app alerts the user when decibels rise to the level that can impact the hearing.

ECG on a smartwatch