We already knew that new technologies help us to have a more comfortable and advanced life, in many fields --such as Science, Medicine, Automotive, etc--; but what we do not know is the limit that the creation of new devices has --perhaps there is no limit--.
Well, it has been a Spanish doctor who has discovered an important utility of the "Apple Watch" smartwatch. Indeed, the cardiologist of the San Carlos Clinic Hospital in Madrid, Miguel Ángel Cobos, has discovered that complete electrocardiograms can be done with Apple smart watches, called Apple Watch, series 4 and 5, with a reliability index similar to of those made in health centres.
Miguel Angel Cobos
Apple Watch
This discovery, which was published last November, in the “Annals of Internal Medicine” magazine, was made fortuitously when he played with the Apple Watch, that he had given his wife, and wanted to check if he could do it, as indicated by the Manufacturer, an electrocardiogram.
Although the watch already comes with an application that, thanks to electrodes, records cardiac activity for 30 seconds, it is not able to detect the symptoms of a myocardial infarction, since for this, as a conventional electrocardiogram does, it is necessary to obtain twelve derivations of the electronic activity of the heart.
However, the doctor, who has said he has "no relationship with Apple", has found that if the Apple Watch is placed on the left wrist, then on the leg, where the derivations of the limbs are obtained, and finally in different points of the thorax, where the precordial leads are recorded, a good result is obtained.
The Apple Watch on the leg
The Apple Watch on the thorax
"In this way it is possible to have an electrocardiogram similar to a conventional electrocardiograph" , he said, to highlight that this finding will allow anyone to make themselves, or any other and anywhere, a complete electro that, interpreted by a cardiologist, could reduce the number of visits to the emergency services.
In addition, it can help to gain time in clinical decision making in a "delicate or borderline" situation, such as a heart attack. In fact, and according to the checks made by Dr. Cobos, the results are similar to those obtained with conventional equipment, both in healthy people and in those with a heart condition.
"It is an absolutely relevant finding that demonstrates that technologies applied to health are advancing at a dizzying speed and that they can play a very important role in care, diagnosis and monitoring", said the Minister of Health of the Community of Madrid, Enrique Ruiz Escudero.
Enrique Ruiz Escudero
Well, I hope this invention can help many people around the world.
Until my next post, kind regards,
Luis.
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