But the device is not sophisticated enough to detect more complex heart problems, said Dr. John Rumsfeld, the American College of Cardiology’s chief innovation officer.
“It’s not going to tell you whether or not you’re having a heart attack or stroke. It’s not going to predict whether or not you’re going to get heart disease later in life,” Rumsfeld said. “It’s not meant to go beyond your heart rhythm.”
Further, anyone who gets a troubling reading from the watch needs to see their doctor for further assessment, he added.
“We are going to have to confirm it,” Rumsfeld said. “This is not a medical device. This is a consumer health device. It could give you a signal, but that won’t mean you have a problem. You will have to get it checked out.”
However, both Martinez and Rumsfeld believe that the Apple Watch is a harbinger of things to come, in terms of wearable technology that helps track your health. The watch costs anywhere from $ 400 to $ 500.
“If you have Apple go into the digital health marketplace, that’s a huge splash,” Rumsfeld said. “I think this is a major moment in consumer digital health history. We’ll look back and say this was just the beginning.”
Patients already are bringing in readings from their Apple Watch for interpretation by a doctor, said Martinez, associate chief of cardiology for the Lehigh Valley Heart Institute in Allentown, Pa.
“I see a lot of athletes in their middle ages who are bringing in the data and saying what does this beat mean, the alarm sounded, what does this mean,” Martinez said. “How we handle that volume of phone calls is overwhelming sometimes.”
Those queries highlight one of the potential downsides of wearing a portable ECG, Martinez said.
“The flip side of this is I think there’s going to be some anxiety that comes with this,” Martinez said. “The constant feedback you will get can provide some anxiety to folks.”
On the other hand, such devices could provide valuable information to doctors, Rumsfeld said.
For example, the watch could be used to track how often a person is being affected by a-fib.