Becker's Hospital Review

34 CIO / HEALTH IT Apple Watch's ECG app is officially here: 5 things to know By Jessica Kim Cohen T he Apple Watch now offers two features OK'd for medical use, thanks to an update the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech maker released Dec. 6. Here are five things to know about the new features: 1. Apple released the two features — an electrocardiogram app and an irregular heart rhythm notification capability — as part of its watchOS 5.1.2 update for its smartwatches. Both of the features aim to help wearers identify signs of atrial fibril- lation, a common type of irregular heart rhythm. 2. The ECG app, only available on the most recent Apple Watch Series 4, enables wearers to take an ECG reading from their wrist. The app analyzes this reading to classify the wearer's heart rhythm as atrial fibrillation, sinus rhythm or inconclusive, and stores this data in the iPhone's Health app. 3. The irregular heart rhythm notification feature, available on Apple Watch ver- sions Series 1 and later, occasionally reviews a wearer's heart rhythm in the back- ground of the device for symptoms of atrial fibrillation. The feature alerts the wear- er if it detects an irregular heart rhythm at select intervals. 4. The Dec. 6 update follows Apple COO Jeff Williams' September announce- ment that the Apple Watch Series 4 would include an FDA-cleared ECG sensor, marking the product's first-ever feature OK'd for medical use. 5. Apple worked with the FDA for "a number of years" to receive De Novo classi- fication for the ECG app and the irregular heart rhythm notification, according to a news release from the company. n Apple patents wireless earbuds with biometric sensors: 4 notes By Jessica Kim Cohen A pple is looking to add health-monitoring features to its wireless earbuds, AirPods, accord- ing to a newly awarded patent reported by e Verge. Here are four notes on the patent, which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded to Apple Dec. 4: 1. e approved patent application, spotted by 9to5Mac, primarily describes an interchangeable AirPods design, which would use built-in biometric sensors to determine whether an earbud is placed in a wearer's le or right ear and adjust the "operation of the earbud" accordingly. 2. e patent also notes the biometric sensors could be used to perform health monitoring, with at least one of the sensors "configured to be pressed up against a portion of the tragus," so that the AirPods could perform heart rate monitoring and take body temperature measurements. 3. Although Apple has been awarded the patent, the technology could still be years away from being deployed as a consumer product, e Verge reported. However, the patent hints at Apple's vision for its next generation of AirPods. 4. Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst known for his strong track record of predicting new features in Apple products, said Apple is planning to release a complete redesign of its AirPods in 2020. In a Dec. 4 note, Mr. Kuo said Apple was likely looking into health features for AirPods and suggested the company may integrate these features with the Apple Watch's health capabilities. n Apple has quietly hired dozens of physicians: 5 things to know By Alia Paavola A pple has quietly hired doz- ens of physicians, an indi- cator that it's serious about health tech, CNBC reported. Here are five things to know: 1. Apple has hired 40 to 50 physi- cians in the last few years, accord- ing to people familiar with the hires cited by CNBC. The physi- cians are scattered among various Apple teams, helping to guide strategy and decisions as the tech giant moves into healthcare. 2. While many of the physicians haven't disclosed their role at Ap- ple — no surprise for a company that works to maintain its secre- cy — CNBC found 20 physicians who worked at Apple via Linke- dIn searches. One is Rajiv Kumar, MD, who works at Stanford (Calif.) Medicine's pediatrics department. He's also worked with Apple for several years. 3. The physician hires could help Apple not only win over physicians as it seeks to integrate health- related technologies into its Ap- ple Watch, iPad and iPhone; it also suggests that Apple will explore applications that can help people with serious medical problems. 4. The number of physicians scat- tered among Apple teams is an indication that the tech giant is se- rious about helping patients man- age disease, not just wellness and fitness, CNBC reported. 5. Sources familiar with the hires said many are working on the Ap- ple Watch, which has a variety of pilot projects focusing on health sensors. Other physicians have been hired for Apple's AC Well- ness group, a primary care ven- ture that treats employees near its headquarters. n

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