DENVER — Many people love their smart watches. People use them daily to check texts, track steps and stay connected with friends. Now, some people are using their Apple Watch to diagnose and monitor health conditions .
At his home on Colorado's Western Slope, there's one item you'll never find Dave Kaufmann without: his Apple Watch. "It's on all the time except for charging it," Kaufmann said. The smart device has become a critical piece of managing his atrial fibrillation (AFib), an abnormal heart rhythm.
But figuring out the problem was tough. His doctors ran tests and heart rate monitors that came back normal. Then, a longer-term heart rate monitor spotted the problem: atrial flutter and AFib.
That sent him to Dr. Sri Sundaram in Denver. "Before my doctor's appointment with Dr.
Sundaram, my oldest son said, 'Well dad, why don't you get an Apple Watch?' And my comment was, 'The doctor doesn't want me to do that.' And when I met with Dr. Sundaram, he was very encouraging, saying he was involved with the study.
So that afternoon, I went out and got an Apple Watch," Kaufmann said. Sundaram is a cardiac electrophysiologist with South Denver Cardiology & AdventHealth Porter and the director of electrophysiology for the Rocky Mountain Region of AdventHealth. Sundaram sees patients like Kaufmann dealing with AFib all the time.
"As much as one out of four people in the United States will develop atrial fibrillation in their lifetime – it's that common," Sundaram said. AFib is c.