Pixel Watch 3 gets FDA approval to alert you if you’re dying

But you'll have to wait a bit longer to turn the feature on.

See full article...

 

[snowcone]

ooh, make it the same voice they use on the Mk4 HEV!
"User death imminent"

 

[Henry Z]

Can it automatically delete my browser history if no pulse is detected?

Asking for a friend, obviously.

IFTTT off your Fitbit data?

 

[LG11]

If you were truly a trusted friend - it would be set to call YOU when your friend's watch detects no pulse so you can do the browser and incriminating file cleanup!
(and yes I know you were making a joke - so am I)

As a truly trusted friend, I probably don't want to see what he's been up to

 

[nick73whm]

detect atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of irregular heartbeat that could indicate an impending stroke or heart attack.

This isn't really accurate.

AFib increases stroke risk because it allows blood to collect in the heart's chambers, potentially forming clots. The clots may break loose anytime unrelated to an AFib episode. So AFib increases the risk of stroke long term. It does not indicate an impending one.

The connection to heart attacks is similar. AFib can over time can gradually weaken the heart through sustained irregular rhythm which can increase your long term risk of heart failure. Once again, an AFib episode is not an indicator of an impending heart attack.

It is a serious condition though. If you get one of those warnings from your Apple watch see your doctor. And be prepared for eye rolls when you say your watch warned you about it.

 

[Saicedelic]

THAT is the odds you need to be paying attention to!

So, are you suggesting people should try to ensure they only have heart attacks when they are in hospital??

 

[TomTheCat]

ETA: Having worked in Emergency Medicine, I know what the survival rates are for both a witnessed and unwitnessed heart stoppage. For someone witnessed, there's less than a 5% chance they'll survive. For unwitnessed, you may as well call a hearse instead of an ambulance. There's some poignancy about seeing someone dead whose heart monitor thing is announcing their condition, but it's going to be the longest of long-shots that they'll survive, let alone "live".

What their brain will be like has even more catastrophic odds for survivors than their odds of surviving being down in the field.

So, like I said, basically a completely useless feature for the wearer, and not much of a comfort for the survivors, either.

The national averages have been pretty poor historically, but are getting better. There are communities where witnessed arrests with bystander cpr have 40% overall survival rates, with a majority neurologically intact. There are also communities where unwitnessed workable arrests have a survival rate over 10%, with admittedly poor neurological outcomes.

It would be great if this feature also activated a siren on the watch. Bystander cpr is essential for survivor’s quality of life.

 

[Cactist]

I'd love to have this on an open-source no spyware way. Because it can one day save my life and be useful in many ways but i don't want to be spied on 24/7 with my data stolen. Looking in the future the far-right will win in my country and totally wreck the healthcare (USA style, thank you for your service to all far right lunatics). I might have to get on private healthcare and that data is going to be used by insurance companies to squeeze the last dime from us. I don't want to put myself there

 

[andygates]

I need this as an IFTTT routine, STAT

Are IFTTT still around? I thought they got enshittified a while back...

 

[passivesmoking]

"The application heart.exe has suffered a fatal error and will be shut down. Click chest 60 times a minute to restart"

 

[andygates]

happened to an assistant scoutmaster I had as a kid.

It's a lot of exertion

My cardiac rehab lady mentioned that often the exertion isn't the problem so much as stopping without a cool down at the end.

(Finish up with a walk around the bounds Redruth than just plonking down)

 

[Andy Somnifac]

That means 25% of the time the response time is adequate. 75% of the time, it's "saving" someone to be the next Terry Schaivo.

When it comes to cardiac arrest IMMEDIATE response is everything! The time between the start of cardiac arrest and severe brain damage or brain death is only 4 minutes. This watch doesn't change that.

So, you're advocating doing nothing because not everyone can be saved?

 

[Rosencruz]

Coming soon, the Apple Autodefibrillator!

 

[mmiller7]

Hopefully there's an option to contact someone likely to be seconds away, i.e. in the house with you, rather than just automatically calling 911.

Yeah, I'm not as big of a fan of "auto call 911" adding more false positive calls and delays to real calls.

Hopefully starts with a local alarm to draw attention and THEN elevates progressively

I wonder if this would have issues if someone for example decided to take off a watch but stow it in their pocket where its still warm but might not sense a pulse?

 

[moongoddess]

So, are you suggesting people should try to ensure they only have heart attacks when they are in hospital??

I am saying that your odds of survival are poor if you have the misfortune to have a cardiac arrest that is not witnessed, with either defibrillation of CPR started IMMEDIATELY. The watch doesn't change that. I am also saying that if CPR or (better) defibrillation is started after someone has been in cardiac arrest for more than 4 minutes, the life that is "saved" may be that of a vegetable, and that save was not a good thing.

 

[moongoddess]

ETA: Having worked in Emergency Medicine, I know what the survival rates are for both a witnessed and unwitnessed heart stoppage. For someone witnessed, there's less than a 5% chance they'll survive. For unwitnessed, you may as well call a hearse instead of an ambulance. There's some poignancy about seeing someone dead whose heart monitor thing is announcing their condition, but it's going to be the longest of long-shots that they'll survive, let alone "live".

What their brain will be like has even more catastrophic odds for survivors than their odds of surviving being down in the field.

So, like I said, basically a completely useless feature for the wearer, and not much of a comfort for the survivors, either.

Thank you for introducing some reality into this conversation!

 

[jdale]

Yeah, I'm not as big of a fan of "auto call 911" adding more false positive calls and delays to real calls.

Hopefully starts with a local alarm to draw attention and THEN elevates progressively

I wonder if this would have issues if someone for example decided to take off a watch but stow it in their pocket where its still warm but might not sense a pulse?

Elevating progressively doesn't make much sense when the medical response needs to be in minutes.

I hope they have done a good job of eliminating false positives of course.

 

[moongoddess]

Coming soon, the Apple Autodefibrillator!

THAT would actually be more useful! Implantable defibrillators have saved many lives.

 

[muckz]

If I slump over at my desk, my wife down the hall could definitely do something to keep me alive..

How is your wife going to keep you alive if your heart stopped? Maybe if there's an AED nearby, or if she knows CPR. That's less than 1% chance someone who is dying has access to either.

 

[ERIFNOMI]

How is your wife going to keep you alive if your heart stopped? Maybe if there's an AED nearby, or if she knows CPR. That's less than 1% chance someone who is dying has access to either.

Ok, so the options here are "do nothing and definitely die" or "maybe someone can help" and you think the better option is throw in the towel?

I mean I don't give a shit about dying, but I think my wife would be pretty bummed to find me dead.

It's also crazy to me the number of people treating CPR as some arcane art that can't be pulled off by mortals. Do they not teach people CPR anymore? Have the Bee Gees been completely forgotten?

 

[ranthog]

I am saying that your odds of survival are poor if you have the misfortune to have a cardiac arrest that is not witnessed, with either defibrillation of CPR started IMMEDIATELY. The watch doesn't change that. I am also saying that if CPR or (better) defibrillation is started after someone has been in cardiac arrest for more than 4 minutes, the life that is "saved" may be that of a vegetable, and that save was not a good thing.

As an organ donor, I would consider that a good thing as long as my organs are in good enough condition. I would hope that if my organs can save someone else's life, it would give some comfort to my family.

It may also help the people who survive the deceased not feel guilty about not finding me. I imagine survivors guilt over stuff like this has a tremendous impact on lives and health.

That being said, the alert may help people around you identify what needs to be done and to start CPR.

 

[ERIFNOMI]

Yeah, I'm not as big of a fan of "auto call 911" adding more false positive calls and delays to real calls.

Hopefully starts with a local alarm to draw attention and THEN elevates progressively

I wonder if this would have issues if someone for example decided to take off a watch but stow it in their pocket where its still warm but might not sense a pulse?

As shown in the pictures and explained in the text, it starts a 20s countdown with an alarm to notify you before it calls out.

 

[ranthog]

As shown in the pictures and explained in the text, it starts a 20s countdown with an alarm to notify you before it calls out.

I'm sure false positives resulting in 911 calls were a major concern for the FDA.

 

[ERIFNOMI]

I'm sure false positives resulting in 911 calls were a major concern for the FDA.

It already did fall detection the same way. Android and I believe iOS also have "car crash detection" that does the same thing as well. Or tap the power button a bunch of times. On Android (at least Pixels) and Wear, you can also set a check-in time, which triggers calls to emergency contacts or emergency services in the same way.

This has been solved. I'm sure the FDA was more concerned about it actually detecting the lack of a heartbeat but verifying that it was still being worn correctly.

 

[robco]

How is your wife going to keep you alive if your heart stopped? Maybe if there's an AED nearby, or if she knows CPR. That's less than 1% chance someone who is dying has access to either.

Quite a number of public places, including workplaces, have AEDs with staff trained to use them. The devices are well, automated. They have audio instructions for administering CPR while it charges, with some including a metronome-style tone to keep rhythm. Unfortunately, they're still too expensive for most people (~$1500) to keep one around the house, though if someone is at risk, it may be worth it.

 

[ranthog]

It already did fall detection the same way. Android and I believe iOS also have "car crash detection" that does the same thing as well. Or tap the power button a bunch of times. On Android (at least Pixels) and Wear, you can also set a check-in time, which triggers calls to emergency contacts or emergency services in the same way.

This has been solved. I'm sure the FDA was more concerned about it actually detecting the lack of a heartbeat but verifying that it was still being worn correctly.

I think we agree, given that verifying the watch is being worn correctly is a critical part of avoiding false positives. As I said, that would be the FDA's concern, given a certain number of false positives will end up calling 911.

 

[passivesmoking]

Coming soon, the Apple Autodefibrillator!

That's not on brand. Surely it'd be iZap.

 

[Rambie]

Based on my many, many, many, many experiences in seeing people's hearts stop and how they react to it, not so much.

I guess my sarcasm didn't come through. Sorry.

 

[gommer]

But what if I'm dying right now?

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand that. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

 

[gommer]

This isn't really accurate.

AFib increases stroke risk because it allows blood to collect in the heart's chambers, potentially forming clots. The clots may break loose anytime unrelated to an AFib episode. So AFib increases the risk of stroke long term. It does not indicate an impending one.

The connection to heart attacks is similar. AFib can over time can gradually weaken the heart through sustained irregular rhythm which can increase your long term risk of heart failure. Once again, an AFib episode is not an indicator of an impending heart attack.

It is a serious condition though. If you get one of those warnings from your Apple watch see your doctor. And be prepared for eye rolls when you say your watch warned you about it.

Thank you.

I've seen more than one reddit commenter absolutely insist, up and down, that the Apple Watch warning you, was not the reason you were saved. You would have gone to the doctor anyways, watch or no watch.

 

[gommer]

Ok, so the options here are "do nothing and definitely die" or "maybe someone can help" and you think the better option is throw in the towel?

I mean I don't give a shit about dying, but I think my wife would be pretty bummed to find me dead.

It's also crazy to me the number of people treating CPR as some arcane art that can't be pulled off by mortals. Do they not teach people CPR anymore? Have the Bee Gees been completely forgotten?

People seem to be suggesting that. No, don't wear an Apple Watch because naw, what's the difference? It can't help you, it'll never help you, and just...don't do anything.

 

[LauraW]

Having type 1 diabetes almost my entire life, I am eagerly awaiting real time blood sugar level monitoring via a smart watch. I know Bluetooth continuous sensors already exist (Dexcom and the like), but they use embedded, below skin surface needles that I find very uncomfortable.

I have a friend with advancing Type 2 who started using a continuous monitor a few years ago. He says it's occasionally mildly irritating, but fortunately it usually doesn't bother him and it's less annoying than frequent finger sticks.

The bigger problem is that the continuous glucose monitors use a probe in extracellular space, so they're not measuring blood glucose. Apparently the glucose level in interstitial fluid lags behind the blood glucose. My friend says it's effectively a 20-ish minute moving average. If his blood sugar is low on the monitor and he thinks it's time to inject some fast-acting insulin, he still needs to do a finger stick to confirm. But he does them a lot less often than before.

But he still loves the monitor; it's great for getting a general picture of what's going on and for tracking trends.

Caveat: this is all second hand.

 

[Doug K]

It's not about alerting me to my heart stopping. It's about alerting someone that can do something about it. If I slump over at my desk, my wife down the hall could definitely do something to keep me alive while waiting for the ambulance.

agreed.

my father had two heart attacks, both times my mother found him quickly and was able to get emergency services in time to bring him back. After she died, he lasted less than a year, was found dead in his chair after a heart attack..
So I think this could be useful.

 

[jdale]

People seem to be suggesting that. No, don't wear an Apple Watch because naw, what's the difference? It can't help you, it'll never help you, and just...don't do anything.

By "people" you mean "two commenters." Which is technically correct.

It's really easy to mistake number of comments for overwhelming public opinion, but not valid to do so.

 

[jdale]

Thank you.

I've seen more than one reddit commenter absolutely insist, up and down, that the Apple Watch warning you, was not the reason you were saved. You would have gone to the doctor anyways, watch or no watch.

Lots of people don't know they have afib, and are only in that condition some of the time. So that's just false.

I noticed but it turns out it was only because I was actually starting out each episode with AV-nodal reentrant tachycardia which is way more noticeable. Like 228 bpm noticeable. But it would turn to afib by the time I got to a doctor. It was properly diagnosed because I was able to get recordings with my watch. And then it was treated and I haven't had any symptoms ever since.

 

[Marzipan]

This article got a mention in The Late Show's Meanwhile segment!


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSYWzROwlDA

 

[ddean]

The sensor part under the skin is not a needle, but elastic plastic filament. The needle is only used when inserting the sensor, it is discarded after the insertion. One really can't feel the sensor, when it is inserted in place.

Right, I was oversimplifying it a bit. The elastic plastic filament can still be uncomfortable for me though. I remember having a lot of bruising in the area after applying the sensor one time. The doctor recommended me removing it and applying another somewhere else. Which after insurance was about $35 for each -- not breaking the bank but not exactly free. Another time after taking a hot shower the adhesive wore off and the thing just fell off (one time application so can't reuse it). Another time the sensor read it was time to replace after less than a week when they are supposed to last 2. Another time I accidentally ripped it off well before the expiration date so it was wasted. Little things like this began to add up and so I went back to finger pricks.

I do see the value having something continuously monitoring so you can track trends but the above annoyances were eventually too much for me.

 

[ddean]

The issue is that, to date, no one has invented a transdermal glucometer. The Dexcoms and Libres and such use a chemical sensor testing bodily fluid (plasma? interstitial fluid?), thus they need the catheter (inserted by the spring-loaded needle).

Right. The technology simply doesn't exist currently. I will be the first in line when it does though.