ECG Watch: How it Works (Apple, Samsung A fib Watches / EKG)

Roger Seheult, MD of MedCram explains how atrial fibrillation can be detected on ECG Smartwatches and the advantages and limitations of this technology. View all Dr. Seheult's videos at:
and his EKG course:

(This video is MedCram COVID 19 update 140 and was recorded on December 7, 2021)

He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine and an Associate Professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.

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Video Produced by Kyle Allred

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MedCram medical videos are for medical education and exam preparation, and NOT intended to replace recommendations from your doctor.

#COVID19 #ECGWatch #Coronavirus

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In October 2020 my Apple Watch Series 5 tapped me on the wrist and indicated it detected AFib. I hadn’t been diagnosed with AFib. I took an ECG and went over to my doctor’s urgent care. The nurse checked me in and asked to see the Apple ECG report. She said she could see the AFib. I saw the doctor and they confirmed AFib. I was referred to a cardiologist and put on Warfrin. A few months later I developed a flutter which made me feel exhausted while exercising. I saw an electro cardiologist and he did an ablation. I am now able to exercise regularly and my heart seems to be functioning correctly. The Apple Watch tipped me off to a heart problem. I am hoping for future technology advancements to help me live a more healthy life. I am 64 years old.

[brpringle]

Eight weeks ago I completed a stenuous workout on my traithlon bike prior to the Ironman race in St. George. My Apple watch alerted me with an alarm that my heart rate jumped to 122 but the haptics noted I was sitting, I activated the ECG function and discovered I was in A fib. Five days ago I underwent an apparently successful cardiac ablation which may allow me to come off blood thinners eventually. I may have discovered this on my own but perhaps not and I would be a stroke victim like so many other folks with undedected A fib. Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention.

[Happy_FreeAshMarie]

My husband got me an Apple Watch because my heart was jumping frequently and we wanted to see if we could “catch” something on the watch.
Dec 2019, my heart felt as if it was skipping beats and going to beat out of my chest. I started the ECG feature on my Apple Watch. The reading said I was AFIB and my heart rate kept climbing. I went to the ER and showed them the reading. The ER confirmed I was in AFIB with my heart rate increasing. I was cardioverted and eventually had a follow up with Cardiology. I also catch PVCs on my watch.
It’s amazing that smart watches have these features.

[geraldyoung]

WOW !!! The best explanation of heart function and ECG interpretation I've ever seen. Kept simple. Thank you, as a emergency medical responder in my younger days, I've always loved this sort of instruction.

[joharrison]

I am a retired nurse of 45 years. I could never get my head round ECGs but you have made it much more understandable. I have heart problems so I will take a look at these watches and hopefully be able to afford one. Thank you

[Monkey-fcnc]

I'm almost 44, and I bought the Samsung watch 3 weeks ago. I highly recommend. I can see my Heart Rate and ECG. I've had shortness of breath and etc. I see a cardiologist now as of January. I had an Echo and stress test. I pass the stress tests, echos and etc. Some regurgitation in my echo that I'm told a lot of people have. But the watch does give me a lot of peace of mind. I do have a diagnosis of severe anxiety.

[JRMObrien]

Liked how you stopped at 6:00 and had to explain our body's natural pacemaker. Most target audience would be confused. Good on yah.

[reneeboyd]

These watches are amazing. My Samsung watch actually alerted me to poor blood oxygen at night. I then bought an air quality reader, and I was breathing in some pretty nasty stuff. I then purchased several air purifiers, and my air quality improved, and so has my sleep readings on my Samsung watch showing me getting better oxygen and rem sleep.

[eliotjacobsen]

The best explanation of AFIB I've seen. Wonderfully clear. Thank you, Dr. Seheult!

[ace]

Every med student should see this, it simply makes sense and is easy to recall.

[drewdegen]

The most lucid and detailed explanation of heart function I have found! I have afib and had an ablation to restore the sinus rhythm. Dr. Seheult's diagrammatic approach clearly delineates the electrical pathways and possible dysfunctions much more explicitly than any of the cardiologists or electrophysiologists that treated me. A really valuable video (and I personally appreciate the straightforward tutorial without lots of aren't-I-cute lame doctor jokes and irrelevant graphic cuts that permeate other videos I have watched). I will save and review.

[lynnkhosla]

Thank you for a clear explanation of exactly what the Apple watch captures and what the first lead shows. I've been watching a number of videos (mostly yours) to try to understand what is happening in my AF. Last week I had a cardiac ablation and have been out of AF since the procedure. What a difference! After four months of persistent AF it was as if I had aged 30 years overnight (I am 63). My brain was like that of an old person, and I became weak and out of breath easily. My tech-savvy son gave me his watch and it confirmed when I felt I was in afib. It provided other useful information, and also encouraged me to remain active and to "breathe." These lectures are the BEST teaching I've ever experienced. You take such complicated processes and break them down so that even an English major can get the gist of what happens.

[Sank]

This is SO WELL explained for us normal people that don’t understand the medial complex of the human heart. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[craigwesson]

I have had and been treated for both Afib and a fast running heart. Have had ablation done 4 times with the final result being unable to reach the issue on the left side. currently on medication which has been for the most part successful. I just wanted to pass on that this video has been the best explained i have ever seen. I wish i had seen this in the beginning to completely understand how it all works. Thank you so much for sharing this !

[IowaKim]

Thank you for your great video! Fitbit Charge 5 now has this feature (the firmware was released). I just checked my ECG and everything is normal. Now I know what I am looking at, and why it is important.

[raymitchell]

Thank you Dr. Seheult this was a great explanation! I wondered how that all worked. I work with electronics and I use an oscilloscope to diagnose circuits, I know what signals to expect, how to hunt them down, and what I need to do to fix them... However, today... you did a wonderful thing for me: You connected the dots for me how to relate the heart's electrical activity to essentially a trace on an oscilloscope... if, as you say, it is open to non-medical people (that's me)... I thought I had to be a Doctor or Nurse in the medical field to take courses... Wow! That opens a door for me! I'm curious and want to learn, I'll check into that course and depending what I've got going on... I might even take it!

[judewatimongo]

What a beautiful explanation of a somewhat complex phenomenon. It will definitely help me make sense of some of the applications of signal analysis in my Electrical Engineering classes.

[alanagbayani]

Very clear, precise, accurate, simple explanation how to interpret ECG waves particularly the first stage, big help and informative.

[johnbrown]

Dr. John Campbell + Medcram are the best 👍

[charlieb]

My Apple Watch also helped me figure out I had a Pulmonary embolism.
It alerted me of an high resting heart rate. I thought it was due to taking a higher then normal insulin dose due to a high carb meal. but when I got working I nearly passed out.
And it alarmed again and I must have touched some thing this time I knew something wasn't right.
so I didn't hav any chest pains so I had my wife take me to the ER and after an Xray and a CT I was told I had Two very large Pulmonary embolisms one in each lung and my doctor told me if I didn't listen to the watch I would have passed away in my sleep that night.