Watch 6 ECG, O2 Sensor = Poor

[Whydidibuythiswatch]

Hi ,

as someone who needs to keep an eye out on certain things such as ECG, heart rate, 02 levels when out and about i can't believe how bad the readings the watch gives can be.

I have a oximeter, 6 lead ecg at home and when ive used my watch after physical activity or when I'm resting the ecg will show afib but the 6 lead ecg says normal rhythm. In fact out of 10 samsung watch afib readings only 3 were genuine as proved by a hospital 12 lead ecg. My cardiologist says he wouldn't trust the samsung ec at all.

And the o2 readings? crikey my oximeter will register 97% and the samsung watch will show 92%, other times it will say 100%. These are just examples. 

I understand that how you wear the watch has an influence and trust me I wear it snuggly, keep the skin facing base clean but I have zero faith in it. 

Is it just me, my watch or is Samsung health technology software/hardware just useless?

On a positive note the BP measurements are actually pretty decent .

Am I being to harsh?

[Glenntech]

All watches from any manufacturer are not medical grade equipment and should not be relied upon as such.
The readings they give are a guide, and will never be as accurate as medical certified equipment
In fact I'm just comparing the Apple Watch Ultra with my Galaxy Watch Ultra
Some of the readings I'm getting on the Apple Watch i don't need medical equipment to know they are way out

[Whydidibuythiswatch]

Thank you for the reply, I understand that they are not medical grade but they kind of sell these features as if they are accurate or decent enough to believe in. Might get a polar 10 chest strap or a frontier x2 for out and about/ excericse heart rate monitoring. thanks again

[smiley]

I would like to add that I also rely on my Galaxy watch for essential checks of my heart health.

I have a cardiomyopathy and suffer arrhythmia so to be able to check the ECG is a useful feature.

This watch does NOT replace a real leaded ECG by any means. I mean these measurements taken from an optical wrist sensor and fingertip, can only provide a certain accuracy for the data, when compared with full 6 and 10 lead ECG devices.

When I was feeling poorly a year ago for an extended period I performed ECG, and although the QRS waveforms were not entirely accurate, it was completely obviously that I was not in a normal sinus rhythm... and suffering abnormal rhythms. I had been for days beforehand. I sent these ECG readings to my consultant over email and which triggered for them to do some more extensive tests. An ECG and Echo at the hospital confirmed my suspicions.

My moral to the story is that the watch gave me enough data to distinguish between normal and poor heart function and to convince my cardiologist to investigate further.

For accurate heart rate during walking and exercise, I have often used my polar H10 chest monitor and also the watch at the same time. Actually these do correlate pretty well in their behaviour... the chest monitor is more accurate but the watch is not far off.

I agree with the blood pressure. It is fairly OK to give a definitive BP measurement and this is why it is needed to calibrate so regularly. This is useful to take a BP when out and about or away for a weekend and when you don't want to take all the equipment with you.

I use and rely on the measurements I take with my Galaxy watch regularly. But I also supplement with the real equipment periodically, and if I suspect I am feeling poorly.

These functions have to pass a certain criteria of accuracy and usefulness to be signed off for use by the UK medical board.

These accuracies may be different with other countries requirements.

On a personal level I feel these tests and data are useful enough to give value for my health, and for me to invest in the smart watches.

I have recently purchased the latest Galaxy watch ultra from the 7 series and this has an
Improved set of sensors... which during the past few weeks appear more accurate over the watch 5 pro than I had owned beforehand.

Hope this all helps

Smiley

[Glenntech]

Have to admit that the readings from the Watch Ultra seem quite good actually.
To me it consistently gives readings on my regular things that I do

[smiley]

I have a pacemaker which is set to 65 minimum, and the watch measures this resting heart rate perfectly.

In fact it is pretty good through the range and perhaps at higher HR values during cardio activity the error margins can get a little bigger.

This picture shows a profile from both my Galaxy watch 5 Pro against my polar chest monitor. I used this to show my cardiologist when I was concerned when my heart rate tops out at 115bpm. I learned afterwards that my ICD device actually restricts my heart not to go above 115, and this is a genuine feature of my 'implanted cardiac defibrillator'.

The point here though is that the data from watch and chest monitor are both well correlated. The actual value of each measurement may vary slightly from time to time, but the overall profile during a 50 minute walk are very similar.

Smiley

[Whydidibuythiswatch]

Thanks for the reply Smiley, I'm from the UK and I'm sorry to hear about the cardiomyopathy. I hope it's manageable. I suffered a widowmaker HA, with heart damage and arrhythmias as a "side effect". Was a very active fit person so a bit of a shock. I suppose as I'm getting back into my fitness routine I ,like you and many people with heart issues have become hyper aware of what the heart is doing and I need utter real time confidence in any device I use.

I will probaly use the watch with a pinch of salt and probably invest in another more robust device for my fitness rehab. thank you and take care.

[smiley]

Thankyou for your comments. I have had my condition for more than 5 years diagnosed... so I am a lot more aware of my issues and limitations now.

I was also a very fit guy and marathon runner... over 30 half marathon and two full marathons in the 6 years prior to my major event episode.

I guess my condition of cardiac arrest risks are more comparable to the sporting people such as Christian Erikkson and fabrice muamba as footballers who suffer similar heart issues and have ICD devices.

Anyway back to the watch 😃... I feel having the ability to perform some diagnosis on the fly when I am out and about, is a key thing for me... it gives me confidence and if I feel my heart beating a little strangely, an ECG test will show a strange beat pattern not consistent with a sinus rhythm. The constant HR monitor gives me confidence I am at least not registering some high tachycardia rate of 200+ and blood pressure gives some idea of systolic and diastolic.

I take these with a pinch of salt, but with an all encompassing watch device to be able to do these things, certainly for me is worthy of a justified 300-500 cost every few years.

Beat regards
Smiley.

[Whydidibuythiswatch]

Final question. I've seen on some forums that you should not do an ecg immediately after or during excericse because these will register incorrectly ecgs results . I can't find anything in the samsung watch websites that specifically mentions this. Is it true?