AliveCor, whose CEO is former Google+ boss Vic Gundotra, has become the first company to have a medical device approved by the FDA for use in the Apple Watch.
In fact, AliveCor’s KardiaBand electrocardiogram (EKG) reader, is the first ever medical device accessory in general cleared for the Apple Watch.
Essentially, the EKG reader is able to sync with an app in order to detect abnormal heart rhythm and atrial fibrillation (AFib) in as little as 30 seconds.
Over time, the KardiaBand can analyze the data in order to predict the user’s heart rate, which can easily be sent to a doctor in real-time. Ultimately, the device’s ability to determine what is abnormal for each individual user makes its an extremely unique medical device accessory with incredible potential.
In addition, AliveCor has developed a speech recognition function which enables users to speak to the Apple Watch in order to describe heart rate issues to doctors.
All in all, this is a major milestone for the Apple Heart Study initiative which aims to utilize heart rate data for building further research.
