New Apple Watch begins saving lives one week after getting EKG feature

By Christian de Looper Published January 6, 2019

Apple is quick to alert Apple Watch users that the device should not be used as a medical device, but already the Apple Watch Series 4, which offers improved heart-monitoring features, is helping save lives. Over the weekend the Apple Watch may well have saved the life of a 46-year-old man from Richmond, Virginia.

On Thursday, December 6, Apple released an update to the Apple Watch Series 4 that finally allows customers to conduct electrocardiogram tests, and through that test the device can alert users to the possibility that they might be experiencing atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib. When Richmond resident Ed Dentel conducted the test after updating his watch, the device quickly alerted him to the fact that he might be experiencing AFib.

Recommended Videos

“The application on the launch sounded off right away with atrial fibrillation — not something I’ve ever heard of, but since I’m in pretty decent health and never had a problem before, I didn’t give it much thought. I figured something was glitchy, so I set everything down turned in for the night,” said Dental in an interview with ABC News.

Turns out, however, there wasn’t a glitch. After putting the watch back on the next day, he was again alerted to the possibility that he might have AFib. He then gave the watch to his wife, and her test came back normal. After two more tests alerting him to AFib, Dentel went to urgent care, where he was eventually told that the Apple Watch may well have saved his life.

Thankfully, because of his young age and relatively good health, the condition should be manageable — and Dentel was referred to a cardiologist for an outpatient visit. There, his condition was confirmed.

AFib itself is the most common form of irregular heartbeat, and is defined as the “abnormal firing of electrical impulses [causing] the atria (the top chambers in the heart) to quiver” by the American Heart Association. AFib can result in heart palpitations, weakened heart muscles, and an increased risk of stroke.

As mentioned, of course, it’s important to not take what the Apple Watch says as gospel. The device is good at giving users a general idea of conditions they might have and can help them track their health — but if your device has alerted you to a condition you may have, definitely seek a second opinion from a professional.

Christian de Looper

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

Topics

Wearables

Nothing might be taking on Meta with its own smart glasses

Viture Pro 2 smart glasses

Nothing has already made a name for itself with smartphones, earbuds, and other accessories that look a little different from everything else on the market. Now, the company may be preparing to add another product category to its lineup: smart glasses.

According to Roland Quandt, who shared the details on Bluesky, Nothing is working on two different types of smart glasses. One will reportedly focus on audio, letting you listen to music and take calls, while the other could offer a built-in camera, ChatGPT integration, and translation features. While Nothing hasn't officially confirmed either product, the leak gives us an early idea of what the company might be planning.

Phones

Samsung Health now needs just 3 days of sleep data to coach you toward better sleep

Samsung is making its Sleep Coaching feature easier to access while adding more personalized advice and clearer sleep reports.

Samsung health sleep tracking

Samsung is making it much easier to get started with Sleep Coaching in the Samsung Health app. With its latest update, you only need three days of sleep data from the past two weeks to begin, down from seven days in a month.

I think that’s a welcome change. Sleep Tracking only tells you how you slept, while Sleep Coaching tries to help you build better sleep habits. Lowering the requirement means you reach the more useful feature much sooner.

Wearables

Fitbit Edge gives me more features, but my money’s still on the Fitbit Air

Fitbit Edge vs Fitbit Air: Sometimes, less really is more

Google Fitbit Edge launched

I'll admit, Google's new Fitbit Edge looks on par with some of the great fitness bands coming out of China. It takes everything I appreciate about traditional Fitbit trackers and wraps it in a sleek design and better polish. You get a 1.34-inch Hybrid OLED display, built-in GPS, ECG support, and a physical button. Google has even made the battery replaceable, something I genuinely appreciate in an era when most wearables become disposable once their batteries deteriorate.

For $179.99, the Edge seems to be reasonably priced too. However, the more I think about what I'd actually want from a fitness tracker, the more I lean towards Google's $99.99 Fitbit Air. Believe it or not, the lack of a display is also the Air's biggest strength.