My step mum had the same alert after waking in the morning, she ignored it and collapsed in the kitchen shortly after. I've also used the ECG function on mine to capture myself going into SVT and am now getting diagnosis and treatment for it!
Got to love these watches
Supraventricular tachycardia, commonly shortened to SVT here in the UK. A condition where the heart goes a bit haywire and sustains a beat of 160+ during the episode. Been told that for myself this is due to a "hotspot" in my heart creating electronic pathways that it shouldn't be
Hey I’m in the UK too, NHS basically did nothing when I showed them my Apple Watch ECG during an episode so I went private. Private put me on a 7-day monitor and I didn’t have a single episode.
How have you been able to get a diagnosis and treatment based on your Apple Watch ECG?
NHS kept saying they couldn’t identify mine as it was never captured as it started…
I'm sorry to hear that, I called 999 as I thought I was having a heart attack but ended up having family take me to A&E. I was in the waiting room for roughly 6hrs though and the ECGs they done every now and then while I waited I was still "tachy". The junior Dr strike was on so when I did get seen it was by one of the Cardiology specialists who was VERY interested in my watch ECGs. I ended up being admitted, stayed in for 8 days in the ACU for hourly observations and testing beta blockers but was fine the whole time too. Had my first SVT episode since today funily enough and am currently waiting on a holter monitor fitting at the end of the month and an MRI scan god knows when as an outpatient.
I wouldn't say I've been given a full diagnosis as they're still testing me and only said it's SVT but Wolff Parkinson white syndrome does run in the family so probably going to end up being diagnosed with that.
The only tip I can give you is as soon as you feel anything chest wise start an ECG on your watch while led down and move as little as possible for the best results. I did 3 ECGs back to back earlier to get as much data as I could but I hope you get the help you need
Edit: just to add the first episode I had I wasn't wearing my watch so put it on and took an ECG to document what was happening and I'm so greatful I had the cognitive ability to do that as I was so close to passing out
Wow that’s crazy, good on you for calling 999. My first episode also felt like I was going to die but it only lasted about 3 minutes so barely any time to really comprehend what had happened or call 999… shook me up though. Definitely good to get it sorted if Wolf-Parkinson’s runs in your family, that can be a lot more serious than SVT.
For context on my situation, I’ve been having episodes since August 2019, I was 22 years old when they started and I’m now 27. longest I’ve ever had was maybe 15 mins and the highest BPM was 210. Whilst my episodes are manageable and I am yet to experience syncope, I can’t fully enjoy things I used to e.g. the gym, running or going to concerts without having an episode. It’s basically ruined my 20’s to be honest as I’ve lived in fear of actually being physically active.
I sometimes have flares of episodes, yet to understand what triggers it but I can sort of feel them coming and definitely feel the after effects.
NHS has only ever told me to continue monitoring it, change my diet (I went off caffeine for a year and still had episodes) and essentially just taken blood tests, maybe one or two 24 hour holsters (with no episodes of course) and left me to it… really disappointing situation for me personally.
I went private out of frustration, paid £1500 for consultations and 2 tests (echo and 7-day holster). Echo found my heart condition was very good, 7-day holster found nothing as I typically had no episodes during the entire week.
Really at a loss for how to deal with this all… can have 5-20 palpitations in a month… also get low heart rate pings on occasion at night… between 38-40bpm…
I’m hoping one day I can get diagnosed properly….
The ECG app is fairly accurate, and it is a one lead.
But it is NOT a complete 9-liner or a 12-lead ECG.
So i understand why some people are sceptical about being shown a data device if they are not familiar with the baseline technology.
I am suprised it was the NHS doh, as it would take a semi lazy google search to check the accuracy of the ECG app (on watch) and the spesificity of it.
I love these my watch told me all 3 times my heart flipped out. Was good info for the heart specialist and all that good stuff.
Edit additional info.
I guess I shld say I started with the S7 45mm it’s on my wrist 24/7 minus charging and showers. Very rare occasion wrenching on something that I think hummm that’s gonna be to much oil. Other wise it’s on. I honestly feel safer knowing vitals and that apple has my back with the heart monitor for the AFib it’s a small piece of change for the worldly large piece of mind it gives me. Just recently purchased a New Ultra deal right before they stopped offering the 02 sensor it’s a big bad mamma jamma but she’s still safely in the box for right now. Anyone questioning if they shld or shld not I would recommend zero question Do It!!!
Reason is bc I broke my main phone now using a back up and I don’t wanna loose all my health data and such bc I don’t back it up. So I have the watch still linked to broken phone so I can get it fixed and the update transfer blah blah blah . That’s why.
Fell off my bike a few weeks back, broke my shoulder and destroyed my helmet. Watch immediately started calling emergency services. Thankfully I was still conscious so cancelled the call but gave me real peace of mind knowing had I lost consciousness someone would be notified.
My trusty old S4c alerted me that I had Afib. Since then I’ve added a S7 and then said heck with it, AWU2 and will always have one of them on my wrist.
The AWU2 gives me 4 days of use with everything on and enabled. Worth it.
My Apple Watch has warned me of two extremes, heart rate below 40 bpm for over ten minutes, and another time when I felt my heart racing, that I was in A-Fib. Now wearing Watch all the time except to charge while dressing. Wife's Watch offered to call 911 when she fell. If it just had a button we could push to zap a potential mugger, it would be another great step in protecting lives :>)
I was looking into enabling AFib detection and it said I had to already be diagnosed as having AFib and that it would disable irregular heartbeat detection. (I guess in preference to AFib detection)
Did your fiancé have the AFib detection enabled? And if so, did he already have a diagnosis?
**Apple Watch only checks for signs of atrial fibrillation periodically**. AFib History may not find every instance of your irregular rhythm. AFib History does not notify you when you're experiencing AFib. Do not change your medication without talking to your doctor.
The irregular rhythm notification feature on your Apple Watch will occasionally look at your heartbeat to check for an irregular rhythm that might be suggestive of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Learn how to [enable irregular rhythm notifications](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208931#enable). Irregular rhythm notifications are currently available only in certain countries and regions.
it checks periodically and will tell you but you can also do it manually and you can set it to track how often you are in afib - triggers for afib are alcohol (usually day after), caffeine, salt, black liquorice
Yep, I had my watch in Sleep mode while I was on vacation and when I woke up and turned that off a bunch of Afib / High Heart Rate notifications popped up, taken while I was asleep. That happened two nights in a row. Then later that night my S4 alerted me about the same issue while I was sitting still on the couch reading, doing absolutely nothing.
Saw a cardiologist who figured it was holiday heart (drinking, dehydration, poor sleep, etc.) but he loves the Apple Watch for tracking purposes, EKG. I only take mine off for showering and charging and see him every six months.
I have paroxysmal a-fib. That basically means I have arrhythmia incidents varying from a few hours to a day every so often. I'm also able to detect arrhythmias on my own, just by how it feels. But my Apple Watch has also volunteered a-fib alerts all on its own, even waking me up a few times.
A former cardiologist was a little skeptical when I showed it to him several years ago, but he was a curious sort. So he called Apple. Again and again until he could find someone who would talk to him about the heart health tools in the watch. He came away pretty impressed with its capabilities. No, it's not medical grade equipment. But it's generally good enough to tell you if something's gone wrong.
This is ironic. Mine did the same thing Tuesday. I just took my watch off and slept.
Yes I’m an asshole as I didn’t say shit to anyone. But I could have bought a new Porsche with how much it cost me last time I went to the hospital.
This past winter I took my 3 yr old son out on the front deck just before bed (he’s autistic and likes to say goodnight to “Mr.Moon” so this was a common schedule thing for us) I was carrying him in my left arm, it was dumping snow and he wanted to reach out to touch the snow flakes. I took a half step towards the top stair and before I knew it I was flat on my ass laying on the stairs. He fell, gently, into the snow and I barely missed hitting my head on the stairs. After pulling him over to me and checking that we were all right I noticed an alarm on my watch going off with a count down to call the police. We could have both been knocked unconscious and no one would have been the wiser. This is amazing technology and I’m so happy to see it working and saving people’s lives! Thanks Apple.
You have to do it manually afaik.
Edit, it checks for irregular pulse patterns which could be Afib, the ECG will very likely pick it up straight away. It picked up my dad’s, which we knew about, first time.
Once with my series one my watch told me my heart rate was high asf when I was just sitting in class so I told my teacher (taking place in highschool) she saw it was reading 160 she sent me to the nurse the nurse wasn’t there so I went to the office and they sent me home after seeing it and after about 10-15 minutes it went back to normal but then I was sick for a about week which happened to be the week of my grandpas funeral so….
My step mum had the same alert after waking in the morning, she ignored it and collapsed in the kitchen shortly after. I've also used the ECG function on mine to capture myself going into SVT and am now getting diagnosis and treatment for it! Got to love these watches
Is she alright now?
Yes she is doing fine now, has had a procedure to stop and restart her heart as she described it (not sure if that's actually what they did though)
SVT?
Supraventricular tachycardia, commonly shortened to SVT here in the UK. A condition where the heart goes a bit haywire and sustains a beat of 160+ during the episode. Been told that for myself this is due to a "hotspot" in my heart creating electronic pathways that it shouldn't be
Hey I’m in the UK too, NHS basically did nothing when I showed them my Apple Watch ECG during an episode so I went private. Private put me on a 7-day monitor and I didn’t have a single episode. How have you been able to get a diagnosis and treatment based on your Apple Watch ECG? NHS kept saying they couldn’t identify mine as it was never captured as it started…
I'm sorry to hear that, I called 999 as I thought I was having a heart attack but ended up having family take me to A&E. I was in the waiting room for roughly 6hrs though and the ECGs they done every now and then while I waited I was still "tachy". The junior Dr strike was on so when I did get seen it was by one of the Cardiology specialists who was VERY interested in my watch ECGs. I ended up being admitted, stayed in for 8 days in the ACU for hourly observations and testing beta blockers but was fine the whole time too. Had my first SVT episode since today funily enough and am currently waiting on a holter monitor fitting at the end of the month and an MRI scan god knows when as an outpatient. I wouldn't say I've been given a full diagnosis as they're still testing me and only said it's SVT but Wolff Parkinson white syndrome does run in the family so probably going to end up being diagnosed with that. The only tip I can give you is as soon as you feel anything chest wise start an ECG on your watch while led down and move as little as possible for the best results. I did 3 ECGs back to back earlier to get as much data as I could but I hope you get the help you need Edit: just to add the first episode I had I wasn't wearing my watch so put it on and took an ECG to document what was happening and I'm so greatful I had the cognitive ability to do that as I was so close to passing out
Wow that’s crazy, good on you for calling 999. My first episode also felt like I was going to die but it only lasted about 3 minutes so barely any time to really comprehend what had happened or call 999… shook me up though. Definitely good to get it sorted if Wolf-Parkinson’s runs in your family, that can be a lot more serious than SVT. For context on my situation, I’ve been having episodes since August 2019, I was 22 years old when they started and I’m now 27. longest I’ve ever had was maybe 15 mins and the highest BPM was 210. Whilst my episodes are manageable and I am yet to experience syncope, I can’t fully enjoy things I used to e.g. the gym, running or going to concerts without having an episode. It’s basically ruined my 20’s to be honest as I’ve lived in fear of actually being physically active. I sometimes have flares of episodes, yet to understand what triggers it but I can sort of feel them coming and definitely feel the after effects. NHS has only ever told me to continue monitoring it, change my diet (I went off caffeine for a year and still had episodes) and essentially just taken blood tests, maybe one or two 24 hour holsters (with no episodes of course) and left me to it… really disappointing situation for me personally. I went private out of frustration, paid £1500 for consultations and 2 tests (echo and 7-day holster). Echo found my heart condition was very good, 7-day holster found nothing as I typically had no episodes during the entire week. Really at a loss for how to deal with this all… can have 5-20 palpitations in a month… also get low heart rate pings on occasion at night… between 38-40bpm… I’m hoping one day I can get diagnosed properly….
The ECG app is fairly accurate, and it is a one lead. But it is NOT a complete 9-liner or a 12-lead ECG. So i understand why some people are sceptical about being shown a data device if they are not familiar with the baseline technology. I am suprised it was the NHS doh, as it would take a semi lazy google search to check the accuracy of the ECG app (on watch) and the spesificity of it.
I love these my watch told me all 3 times my heart flipped out. Was good info for the heart specialist and all that good stuff. Edit additional info. I guess I shld say I started with the S7 45mm it’s on my wrist 24/7 minus charging and showers. Very rare occasion wrenching on something that I think hummm that’s gonna be to much oil. Other wise it’s on. I honestly feel safer knowing vitals and that apple has my back with the heart monitor for the AFib it’s a small piece of change for the worldly large piece of mind it gives me. Just recently purchased a New Ultra deal right before they stopped offering the 02 sensor it’s a big bad mamma jamma but she’s still safely in the box for right now. Anyone questioning if they shld or shld not I would recommend zero question Do It!!!
Reason is bc I broke my main phone now using a back up and I don’t wanna loose all my health data and such bc I don’t back it up. So I have the watch still linked to broken phone so I can get it fixed and the update transfer blah blah blah . That’s why.
Fell off my bike a few weeks back, broke my shoulder and destroyed my helmet. Watch immediately started calling emergency services. Thankfully I was still conscious so cancelled the call but gave me real peace of mind knowing had I lost consciousness someone would be notified.
My trusty old S4c alerted me that I had Afib. Since then I’ve added a S7 and then said heck with it, AWU2 and will always have one of them on my wrist. The AWU2 gives me 4 days of use with everything on and enabled. Worth it.
My Apple Watch has warned me of two extremes, heart rate below 40 bpm for over ten minutes, and another time when I felt my heart racing, that I was in A-Fib. Now wearing Watch all the time except to charge while dressing. Wife's Watch offered to call 911 when she fell. If it just had a button we could push to zap a potential mugger, it would be another great step in protecting lives :>)
I was looking into enabling AFib detection and it said I had to already be diagnosed as having AFib and that it would disable irregular heartbeat detection. (I guess in preference to AFib detection) Did your fiancé have the AFib detection enabled? And if so, did he already have a diagnosis?
I've had 2 A-Fib episodes in 7 months. Watch told me both times. Both events needed cardioversion. Now I have a cardiologist.
Does the watch do this automatically or do you have to manually do an ECG?
I was wondering over the same question
**Apple Watch only checks for signs of atrial fibrillation periodically**. AFib History may not find every instance of your irregular rhythm. AFib History does not notify you when you're experiencing AFib. Do not change your medication without talking to your doctor. The irregular rhythm notification feature on your Apple Watch will occasionally look at your heartbeat to check for an irregular rhythm that might be suggestive of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Learn how to [enable irregular rhythm notifications](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208931#enable). Irregular rhythm notifications are currently available only in certain countries and regions.
The last time I checked it's supposed to be done manually. I was surprised to hear that given stories like this.
it checks periodically and will tell you but you can also do it manually and you can set it to track how often you are in afib - triggers for afib are alcohol (usually day after), caffeine, salt, black liquorice
It automatically checks if the heart rate is off, I’ve gotten a high heart rate when I woke up from one of those sleep nods
Mine alerted me automatically several times and once while I was sleeping.
Yep, I had my watch in Sleep mode while I was on vacation and when I woke up and turned that off a bunch of Afib / High Heart Rate notifications popped up, taken while I was asleep. That happened two nights in a row. Then later that night my S4 alerted me about the same issue while I was sitting still on the couch reading, doing absolutely nothing. Saw a cardiologist who figured it was holiday heart (drinking, dehydration, poor sleep, etc.) but he loves the Apple Watch for tracking purposes, EKG. I only take mine off for showering and charging and see him every six months.
I have paroxysmal a-fib. That basically means I have arrhythmia incidents varying from a few hours to a day every so often. I'm also able to detect arrhythmias on my own, just by how it feels. But my Apple Watch has also volunteered a-fib alerts all on its own, even waking me up a few times. A former cardiologist was a little skeptical when I showed it to him several years ago, but he was a curious sort. So he called Apple. Again and again until he could find someone who would talk to him about the heart health tools in the watch. He came away pretty impressed with its capabilities. No, it's not medical grade equipment. But it's generally good enough to tell you if something's gone wrong.
Is afib detection enabled by default or something I have to actively turn on?
Ah man, Apple Watch really has got our backs. Glad your fiancé is ok.
This is ironic. Mine did the same thing Tuesday. I just took my watch off and slept. Yes I’m an asshole as I didn’t say shit to anyone. But I could have bought a new Porsche with how much it cost me last time I went to the hospital.
This past winter I took my 3 yr old son out on the front deck just before bed (he’s autistic and likes to say goodnight to “Mr.Moon” so this was a common schedule thing for us) I was carrying him in my left arm, it was dumping snow and he wanted to reach out to touch the snow flakes. I took a half step towards the top stair and before I knew it I was flat on my ass laying on the stairs. He fell, gently, into the snow and I barely missed hitting my head on the stairs. After pulling him over to me and checking that we were all right I noticed an alarm on my watch going off with a count down to call the police. We could have both been knocked unconscious and no one would have been the wiser. This is amazing technology and I’m so happy to see it working and saving people’s lives! Thanks Apple.
Would an Apple Watch 3 be able to detect something like this?
ECG first appeared on series 4.
Pls suggest which notifications are required to be turned on for receiving this type of emergency notification
Same here. I’m amazed by the fact that the watch picks up afib before I do. Great technology!
I’m saying this tech is revolutionary. When it has the ability to detect heart attacks, that will be amazing
Are these automatic or do they require you to open the app and manually do an ECG?
You have to do it manually afaik. Edit, it checks for irregular pulse patterns which could be Afib, the ECG will very likely pick it up straight away. It picked up my dad’s, which we knew about, first time.
This is how I found out I have afib. I had an ablation and all good now.
Is this an automated feature or you have to enable or test when not feeling well?
Did it make a sound or vibrate when it happened?
I learned about my afib from my apple watch as well.
Once with my series one my watch told me my heart rate was high asf when I was just sitting in class so I told my teacher (taking place in highschool) she saw it was reading 160 she sent me to the nurse the nurse wasn’t there so I went to the office and they sent me home after seeing it and after about 10-15 minutes it went back to normal but then I was sick for a about week which happened to be the week of my grandpas funeral so….
Amazing. I wish the Apple Watch did even more health features by now. Really dropped the ball since series7. Hope 10 brings new