The Apple Watch Series 4—the device’s first major update since its introduction to the market three years ago—will feature an electrocardiogram in addition to its existing heart rate monitor, the Verge reported this week.
The EKG is expected to better detect cardiovascular abnormalities compared to traditional heart monitors in wearables, according to the Verge, since multiple layers of tissue in the wrist can impede an accurate heart rate reading.
To use the new feature, Apple Watch users touch their finger to the device’s digital crown, prompting the watch to pass a current across the user’s chest. That current tracks electrical signals in the heart directly, making it more accurate, and the watch then turns that information into a normal or abnormal heart rhythm classification. The watch is reportedly equipped to identify irregular conditions like atrial fibrillation.
The full experience takes around 30 seconds per scan, the Verge reported. Information from EKGs are automatically stored in the Apple Health app in a PDF file.
The watch will be available to order starting Friday, Sept. 14. Read more about it at the link below.
After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.