xdaemonisx t1_iteum9t wrote on October 23, 2022 at 2:46 AM

My cardiologist specifically recommended an Apple Watch. I’ve been happy with it.

foundafreeusername t1_itex1e5 wrote on October 23, 2022 at 3:07 AM

Interesting. A lot of cardiologists don't seem to be a fan of this technology. Supposedly because it has a lot of false positives sending people to the doctor that don't have any issues.

Maybe it improved by now

xdaemonisx t1_itey631 wrote on October 23, 2022 at 3:17 AM

He told me it was a lot less expensive than the Zio patch or Holter monitor and good enough to use to see if my SVT gets worse. When I had to wear those devices for 3 weeks (first the Holter monitor, then they switched to the Zio patch because it was more discreet) it was like, $1,500 I had to pay. The watch was only $300 and I can show him at my appointments. The watch could not diagnose me, and I have no idea what I’m looking for, but it seems to be worth it.

[deleted] t1_itfsdh6 wrote on October 23, 2022 at 9:26 AM

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mixmastakooz t1_itf0s0n wrote on October 23, 2022 at 3:42 AM

My ER doctor friend likes them: she’d rather have a false positive than someone missing out on treatment but more often than not, it’s been something actionable.

moofunk t1_itfz5tw wrote on October 23, 2022 at 10:56 AM

> Supposedly because it has a lot of false positives sending people to the doctor that don't have any issues.

Worse than that, it shows an actual issue of sorts, but puts the doctor in a position for whether treatment should be done or not, because the patient may be better off with no treatment, because they are young and otherwise healthy.

The patient ends up demanding treatment (surgery) and ends up with a worse quality of life than before, or in very unfortunate cases, end up dying from complications.

What the watch is really doing, is gather a lot of data from mostly healthy, younger people, that don't suffer heart issues that require treatment, i.e. people that such data is normally not gathered data from, because they never needed to.

I don't think we can see the true benefit of the watch until 25 years from now, when we can start mapping out how the heart and cardiovascular system deteriorates as you age and what causes increased deterioration.

LucidLethargy t1_itfsc44 wrote on October 23, 2022 at 9:25 AM

I guess Apple was giving them a kickback, then, because this technology is not even remotely unique to Apple.

xdaemonisx t1_iti34l5 wrote on October 23, 2022 at 8:23 PM

It’s not a unique technology, but the main age group a cardiologist sees aren’t going to be the most tech savvy people.

I work in mobile phones, and Apple phones are by far the easiest to set up and use without fear of messing something up super terribly. The app for the watch and the health app come preinstalled on iPhones so you do not need to explain how to log in/make an Apple ID, go to the App Store, and download another app for the watch to work.

I can’t tell you how many people I help set up their hearing aids, FitBits, Garmins, and even the car radio Bluetooth. I can imagine the doctor was probably getting the same, and that isn’t his job. The Apple Watches are probably the easiest for him and his patients to use and understand without much set-up. I know it’s the easiest thing for me to set up since there’s barely anything to do other than pair them.

I barely had to do anything for the watch to take my SPO2, heart rate, and respirations per minute. It just does. I had a Samsung phone and watch before the recommendation and it would always fight with me on doing these things. It was time for a phone upgrade anyway and my Samsung watch battery was going.

He could also be sponsored, which I hope he’s getting a nice kickback if that’s the case. It worked on me, lol.

LucidLethargy t1_ittdhix wrote on October 26, 2022 at 4:01 AM

This is so weird... Apple phones are easier to set up? I've used both, and this is a silly thing to say. Do you mean they are the easiest to migrate to from other Apple phones? That's a two way street.

Samsung pre-installs their apps as well (I actually dislike that, for what it's worth). They also have a good deal more health features than Apple, were you aware of that? Ever try to get your blood pressure on an apple watch? You can't. Samsung watches also take readings automatically, just like Apple.

My grandmother got an iPhone recommendation for her hearing aid. She HATED it. She, wanted her old Android back. I helped her with her iPhone, and I agreed with her frustrations. Modern iPhone's are a mess, they aren't simple like used to be.

In the end, they're all shit, though. Apple is not innovating, and neither is Android. Stop trying to sell people on one brand.