Garmin is the latest company to give its users the ability to take an ECG reading from their wrist. The company is launching a new ECG app that allows users to record their heart rhythm and check for signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), Garmin announced on Tuesday.
The app, which is the company’s first FDA-cleared smartwatch feature, is available for the Venu 2 Plus in the United States. Garmin plans to add support for more devices and regions in the future and notes that these plans require further regulatory approval.
Users can use the app to record a 30-second ECG and view their heart rhythm results immediately on the watch or at a later time in the Garmin Connect app. When users take an ECG, the new app uses sensors on the Venu 2 Plus to record the electrical signals that control how their heart beats. The ECG App then analyzes that recording to detect signs of AFib. For context, AFib rhythms occur when the upper and lower chambers of your heart are not beating in sync.
Image Credits: Garmin
Users can also sync their results to Garmin Connect, which allows users to view their history of ECG results and create reports that can be shared with a healthcare provider.
“The ECG App is Garmin’s first FDA-cleared smartwatch feature and we are thrilled to offer this revolutionary tool to our customers as another way to stay on top of their health,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales, in a press release. “During the early stages of AFib, it’s common for symptoms to be infrequent, making it difficult to detect in a clinical setting. With the new ECG App, Venu 2 Plus customers can conveniently take an ECG recording anytime and optionally create a report of their results to share with their doctor later.”
As with other similar apps, Garmin’s ECG app isn’t a diagnostic tool and is instead seen as a way to get a bit more insight into your health. Google, Fitbit, Apple, Samsung and Withings smartwatches have offered ECG features for quite some time now, so Garmin’s new ECG app is a welcome addition to the Venu 2 Plus.