Since 2022, the Apple Watch has been equipped with an atrial fibrillation feature, which was given the green light by the FDA just hours before Apple announced it to the public. This feature has received praise for saving lives, often detecting heart issues that individuals were unaware of.

The Afib History feature utilizes pulse rate data collected by the Apple Watch’s photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor to identify irregular heart rhythms associated with AFib. It then provides users with a retrospective estimate of their AFib burden, indicating how much time they have spent in AFib during previous periods of wearing the Apple Watch.

Here’s how it works: The Apple Watch’s PPG sensor uses green LEDs and light-sensitive photodiodes to monitor changes in blood flow through your wrist. As your heart beats, it sends a pressure wave through your blood vessels, resulting in a quick increase in blood volume detected by the sensor.

By tracking these changes in blood flow and measuring beat-to-beat intervals, the sensor can determine how much time you have spent in AFib over the past week of wearing your Apple Watch.

If you have been diagnosed with AFib and own an Apple Watch, you can easily access this feature by following these simple steps:

– Open the Health app on your iPhone.
– Navigate to Browse and select Heart.
– Locate AFib History and tap on it.
– Click on Set Up and then Get Started.
– Enter your Date of Birth.
– Confirm that you have been diagnosed with AFib by a doctor and continue.
– Follow the prompts to learn more about AFib History and its potential results.
– Tap Done to complete the setup process.

By following these steps, you can start utilizing the AFib History feature on your Apple Watch for better monitoring of your heart health.