With Cyber Monday just around the corner, a fitness tracker is on many holiday wish lists.
For most people, the main reason to get a fitness tracker is to figure out how much activity they鈥檝e done in a day — and to encourage themselves and loved ones to exercise.
But the new devices can do so much more.
鈥淔rom the medical side, it also provides a wealth of information about people鈥檚 heart rate,鈥� said Dr. Ameya Kulkarni, an interventional cardiologist at at Kaiser Permanente.
“[And], depending on the type of device, other information, like EKGs [electrocardiograms] and whether there鈥檚 an abnormal rhythm. So we can really learn a lot about a patient鈥檚 everyday activity from this device you wear on your wrist.鈥�
The most common medical use of fitness trackers is to monitor skipped beats, heart palpitations and other irregularities.
鈥淪omebody says, 鈥榊ou know, Doc, once every few weeks, my heart does something funny, and I鈥檓 not sure what it is.鈥� One of these fancy fitness trackers is a good way to figure that out relatively quickly,鈥� he said.
Some of the fancier devices, such as Apple Watch, can also monitor the oxygen levels in your blood or capture a pared-down version of an EKG.
鈥淲hat that tells us is whether the electrical system of your heart is working as it should,鈥� Kulkarni said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the top chamber talking to the bottom chamber. Are there any funny rhythms going fast –like atrial fibrillation, for example — or anything more insidious or more dangerous than that?鈥�
These trackers, he said, have become especially useful during the pandemic, when people have been leery of going to the doctor鈥檚 office. Using these devices, he said, lets clinical teams keep an eye on patients without frequent visits.
He believes fitness trackers are opening the doors for doctors to take care of patients in a more meaningful way than the periodic episodes of care when a patient is in the office.
In a way, Kulkarni said, these new devices take us back to the days.
鈥淵ou imagine that old village doctor,” he said. “What they would do is, they would walk around and you鈥檇 sort of see them at the market. Fitness trackers give you that chance.
“You can let your doctor know what鈥檚 going on when you鈥檙e at the supermarket or just in your home, rather than just in those moments when you鈥檙e in the doctor鈥檚 office.”
If you get one of these devices and see anything that concerns you, he said, you should take action. Don鈥檛 worry alone: Reach out to your doctor or medical team so they can see what鈥檚 going on.
鈥淭he worst thing that could happen is that you have something that is serious that we miss out on,鈥� Kulkarni said.
