Apple Watch detects atrial fibrillation – doctors initially find nothing

It is no wonder that the Apple Watch is mentioned in scientific studies. Since 2019, right after the release of the Apple Watch Series 4 with ECG measurement, the number of relevant studies has increased dramatically.

The most recent report in the “International Journal of Emergency Medicine” is somewhat unusual. The story begins normally: A 43-year-old man is admitted to the emergency room with mild dizziness and an irregular heartbeat. By the time it’s his turn, his condition has improved and doctors can measure a normal heart rhythm using a 12-lead ECG. However, the man is wearing a first-generation Apple Watch Ultra. Before he was admitted to the emergency room, he started the ECG app and it detected atrial fibrillation.

Unusual trigger for atrial fibrillation

The man was able to determine a temporal connection between the cold drink and the atrial fibrillation: According to him, he had worked in his garden in the blazing sun for an hour. Then we went into the house and drank a glass of cold vegetable juice with long sips.

After the first big sip, he felt his heart beating significantly faster. There was also slight shortness of breath and dizziness. When the symptoms lasted ten minutes, he put on his Apple Watch and started the ECG app – with clear results. The man took two more measurements over the course of half an hour, and these also resulted in the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. So he decided to go to the emergency room.

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By the time it was finally the man’s turn, his heartbeat had calmed down. All other vital signs measured were normal. Wisely, the doctors wanted to see the Apple Watch measurements. The eventually discovered atrial fibrillation, triggered by the consumption of cold drinks, was nothing new for the man. While still in the hospital, the man could remember a similar incident from five years ago. At that time, he did not have a suitable measuring device at hand that could confirm that he had atrial fibrillation after drinking a cold drink. But this time half the Apple Watch.

Why the Apple Watch will be very helpful this fall

The doctors who submitted this case as a case study in the journal point out in their conclusion that smartwatches with an ECG function are very helpful in cases of atrial fibrillation with an external trigger, at least to determine the temporal connection between the trigger and the Document atrial fibrillation. This makes it easier for the treating doctor and the patient to find out the possible causes of atrial fibrillation and to avoid them in the future.

Cold Drink Heart, also known as atrial fibrillation induced by a cold drink, is actually mentioned in the specialist literature, according to the authors of the study. In the past, the diagnosis was difficult because a lot of time passed between the cause and the ECG measurement (in the hospital). Portable ECG measuring devices such as smartwatches can help here.

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