ASOURCE Navi

With the development of wearable technology and raising people's awareness of health, the use of wearable device apps is expanding from conventional health maintenance and promotion to medical care. Watch-type terminals equipped with an electrocardiogram function can constantly check data, so signs of arrhythmia can be detected early, which may lead to early diagnosis.

Since Apple Watch Series 4 has a built-in electronic heart rate sensor, you can measure ECG by combining it with the ECG app (as of January 27, 2021, used in 66 countries and regions including Japan). Possible). This ECG app has been certified as a medical device by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. In July of last year, PMDA (Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency) set "Home Electrocardiograph Program" and "Home Heart Rate Monitor Program" as new medical device genres (general names), and the ECG app corresponds to this. To do.

Even if a patient complains of arrhythmia, it is often difficult to make a reliable diagnosis because the abnormality cannot be detected by the measurement with a medical electrocardiograph in the examination room. The same applies to the holder-type electrocardiograph that measures 24 hours a day. By wearing your Apple Watch at all times, you can detect arrhythmias at night or early in the morning. The app also has the ability to alert you when there are signs of arrhythmia. Early diagnosis is possible by receiving an early examination, which may help prevent the onset of cerebral infarction. In addition, prevention of aggravation by early diagnosis also leads to reduction of medical expenses.

An Apple heart study of 400,000 healthy individuals detected atrial fibrillation in 0.52% and a positive predictive value of 84%. Some medical institutions have obtained overseas models of Apple Watch and used them for cardiovascular medical care in Japan.

"Move ECG" developed by Withings in France is a smart watch with an on-demand type electrocardiogram measurement function. It was released in Europe last fall (not yet released in Japan). You can measure at your favorite timing.

The measurement method is to touch the bezel (outer part of the LCD display) of the watch with the hand of the person who is not wearing the watch. The measurement time is 30 seconds. The measurement results of the app are displayed as "normal sinus rhythm", "atrial fibrillation", "unclassifiable", etc. The measurement data can be shared with the doctor as a PDF, which can be useful for medical treatment.