Southeast Georgia Health System

Health Monitoring Through Technology:

Samsung and Apple

Recently, smartwatches have moved past simply tracking fitness levels and can now monitor sleep, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels and even send warnings during medical emergencies. Samsung and Apple have been working hard to provide additional healthcare monitoring features for their users.

The Samsung Health Monitor app helps encourage specified wellness goals. The Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Watch Active2 utilize blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) tracking through the app. The ECG test records the electrical activity of the heart and assists in looking for abnormalities in heart rhythm. A news release from Healthline points out that arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, could lead to various health complications including stroke, blood clots and even heart failure over time. Samsung has an easy step-by-step process for users to get the ECG reading. Simply open the app and rest your finger on the screen of the watch. “The app will record your ECG for 30 seconds. Once it is complete, the app will display your ECG results for rhythm classification. You can also record the symptoms you are experiencing and then tap done to complete the recording,” says Samsung. The app has suggestions of proper use and after the recording, users can receive three possible results: sinus rhythm, atrial or inconclusive.

The Galaxy Watch3 or Galaxy Watch Active2 can be calibrated with a traditional blood pressure cuff, which measures blood pressure through a pulse wave analysis. For best results, Samsung suggests using a MFD-approved upper-arm cuff-based blood pressure monitor. The app is very detailed and walks users step-by-step through the entire process. The app records all readings for easy access. Using a calendar, the app tracks each reading and has a feature to leave notes on specific readings. Apple has its own detection system for cardiovascular diseases with the use of its Apple Watch. A new study by Stanford University researchers found that the Apple Watch can be used as a reliable telemedicine solution for detecting cardiovascular disease. Researchers have found that the app’s alerts had an 84

percent accuracy when being compared to the other readings. Data that is collected via Apple Watch Series 3 and VascTrac, with MWT (six-minute walk test) tracking over the course of six months, showed that tracking cardiovascular activity makes a big difference in user’s health. To track blood pressure, the Apple Watch syncs to five different types of blood pressure monitors. Different notifications can be selected in the app such as reminders of when to take blood pressure and even record detected abnormal heartbeats. The built-in heart rate monitor uses LED lights and sensors for accurate readings. The ECG can help identify conditions such as AFib. For any type of irregular heartbeats that are detected, the watch has visual and auditory signals to alert the user of possible danger. After each reading is taken, the results of sinus rhythm, AFib, or inconclusive will be displayed for the user. Besides heart health, Apple Watches are also able to send emergency warnings if the user becomes immobilized. This feature is another way that caregivers can monitor their loved ones and get warnings if anything abnormal happens, such as a fall or large change in heart rate. The Apple Watch Series 5 has fall detection, which is activated in the Apple Watch Health app. For those 65 years and older, the app automatically starts this feature after the user enters their information. For those under 65, the user must activate the feature within the app. With these new products to monitor heart health at home, Samsung and Apple are breaking ground in the healthcare world. These products add to the technology that will continue to help diagnose conditions that users may not even realize they have and in turn, allow people to make healthy choices in their lives.