Apple officially announces the availability of the ECG app (Know all about the ECG app here) On the fourth generation Apple Watch or later models in Saudi Arabia in the upcoming system update with iOS 13.5 and watchOS 6.2.5. This feature is the first product that reaches the consumer directly and allows customers to take an electrocardiogram directly from their wrist, as it records the heart rhythm at the moment they experience symptoms such as a rapid or irregular heartbeat, and helps provide important data to doctors. Also, the tachycardia notification feature on the first-generation Apple Watch or later models will monitor the rhythm of the heartbeat in the background from time to time, and it will send a notification if an irregular heartbeat is identified indicating atrial fibrillation. Both the ECG app and the tachycardia notification feature have received approval from the Food and Drug Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as licensed medical devices.

Both the ECG app and the tachycardia notification feature will help users identify the signs of atrial fibrillation, the most common form of tachycardia. When neglected and left untreated, atrial fibrillation is one of the leading causes that can lead to stroke, the second most common cause of death worldwide.

Said Jeff Williams, Apple's general manager of operations

The Apple Watch has helped so many people around the world, and we feel humbled that it has become an important part of our customers' lives. With the release of these heart features, the Apple Watch takes an important step in enabling people to get more information about their health.

ECG application

The new electrodes built into the Digital Crown and the crystal on the back of the fourth generation Apple Watch and later models work with an ECG app to enable customers to record an ECG similar to one-way measurements. To record an ECG at any time or after receiving a notification of an irregular heartbeat, the user must open the new ECG application on the fourth generation Apple Watch and later models and place his finger on the Digital Crown.

When the user touches the Digital Crown, the circuit is completed and the electrical signals of the heart are measured. After 30 seconds, the heart rhythm is classified as either a sign of atrial fibrillation, sinus rhythm, a decrease or elevation in the heart rate, or an inconclusive finding. All recordings, associated labels, and any noticeable symptoms are stored in the Health app on iPhone. Users can share a PDF containing the results with doctors.

Tachycardia notifications

Using the optical heart sensor in Apple's first-generation watch or later models, the occasional tachycardia notification feature checks the user's heart rhythm in the background for any signs of tachycardia that could indicate atrial fibrillation and alert The user is notified if a tachycardia is detected after five heart rhythm checks over a period of at least 65 minutes.

The ability of the ECG app to accurately classify the ECG recording as indicating atrial fibrillation or sinus rhythm was validated in a clinical trial of approximately 600 participants. Heart rate rhythm ratings taken by a cardiologist using a 12-way ECG machine were compared with a heart rate rhythm rating recorded simultaneously by the ECG app. The study showed that the application of an ECG to the Apple Watch showed a sensitivity of 98.3% in the classification of atrial fibrillation and a specificity of 99.6% in the classification of the sinus rhythm in the recordable records. The study showed an ECG app could classify 87.8 percent of the recordings.

The tachycardia notification feature was studied in the Apple Heart Study. The Apple Heart Study included more than 400,000 participants and is the largest study ever conducted to screen for atrial fibrillation, making it also one of the largest studies of the cardiovascular system to date. A partial set of data from the Apple Heart Study has been used to support obtaining approval for the Tachycardia Notification feature in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And in that sub-study, of all the participants who received a tachycardia notification on an Apple Watch while wearing an ECG patch at the same time, 80 percent got a signal of atrial fibrillation on an ECG patch while 98 percent got a sign of fibrillation. Atrial or other related arrhythmia.

To enable the new Heart features, customers will be guided through on-screen setup steps that include details on who can use these features, what these features can and should not do, what results users may get, how to interpret these results, and clear instructions on what to do. Do if users experience symptoms that require immediate medical attention.

We hope that this wonderful feature will reach all countries of the world soon, and congratulations to the people of Saudi Arabia on the arrival of this service in the next system update that is expected to be released soon.

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