Wearable monitors can help your heart if you know your device
Wearable technology is becoming an important tool to track and improve heart health, but consumers must understand what their device is measuring
On a recent Sunday, an otherwise healthy Hong Kong man in his 60s saw an alert on his smartwatch signalling his heart rate had skyrocketed to 160 beats per minute.
He was so concerned that he went to the hospital. That decision saved his life.
“It turned out to be a very severe blood vessel problem,” says Dr Jeffrey Fung Wing-hong, clinical director of the cardiac electrophysiology laboratory at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road.
One patient [who saw a smartphone warning] thought he was in good health. He had a very severe blood vessel problem [and immediate surgery was needed]
“He thought he was in good health. When he came in, his vitals were OK, but an electrocardiogram showed further investigation was needed.”
Fortunately, the hospital’s Hong Kong Heart Center had the advanced equipment to provide him with a thorough examination, which led doctors to determine that a surgical procedure was needed immediately.
The doctors operated on him on the same day and he is now “doing very well”, Fung says.
Help or hindrance?
This is just one real-life example of how technology to monitor the heart and health has benefited someone who may never have known they were on the cusp of a major medical problem.