A heart attack is an unpredictable condition and one can never tell when it will occur. Thanks to the new innovation, the new Apple Watch band could determine if the person's heart is functioning very well.
The previous Apple Watch is equipped with a heart rate reader but not of medical evaluation, the reason why physicians cannot rely on its information. Doctors need an electrocardiogram test (EKG) to identify heart issues. These are not the interpretations of an optical heart rate sensor just like the ones attached to most wearables.
Apple Watch may have been equipped with a heart rate sensor and help save lives according to some reports. However, it could not hand back the type of information the doctors need to absolutely evaluate the patient's condition, Business Insider reports.
Because of this, an exclusive company that specializes in medical health is launching a new Apple Watch band integrated with an EKG sensor. AliveCor is based in Mountain View, California and is the manufacturer of the first-ever medical accessory built for a wearable.
"We live in a world where consumers want to know every minute what's going on [in their bodies] and for the first time they can have a medical, clinical-grade, FDA-cleared tool," CEO Vic Gundotra announced during a CNBC live telecast.
AliveCor calls its medical device as KardiaBand. The medical accessory is valued at $200 and can be purchased from Amazon and AliveCor's website. Consumers need not any recommendation from doctors to acquire the device to keep track of their condition pertaining to their heart issues which include atrial fibrillation.
USA Today notes that the KardiaBand slips into any Apple Watch and utilizes its own miniature battery which could last up to two years. For a person to take a reading, he must put his fingers on the small metal contacts fixed in the band for about half a minute. In a span of 30 seconds, the EKG reading is done and the result can be emailed to the doctor for evaluation.
