ECG Feature on the Apple Watch receives final medical approval from the Japanese medical authorities.
Medical authorities in Japan gave its domestic approval and medical certification on the ECG feature on the Apple Watch, including the irregular heart rhythm notifications feature on the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5. This means that Apple now has the go signal from Japanese authorities to launch these features in Japan soon.
The Japanese Association for the Advancement of Medical Equipment (JAAME) confirmed the final medical approval of Apple Watch's ECG feature, as well as the irregular heart rhythm notifications app found on the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 on Friday, Sept. 4. Tech blog iPhone Mania revealed that the approval or certification numbers of the ECG app "Home ECG program" and "Home heart rate monitor program" are "30200BZI00020000" and "30200BZI00021000," respectively.
Subsequently, the company announced an impending update to existing owners of Apple's watchOS to activate the ECG feature on the Apple Watch and the irregular heart rhythm notifications app found on the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5. For this reason, the Ochanomizu Department of Cardiology made preparations to launch its Apple Watch Outpatient program, a measure that will help registered patients use their Apple Watches to keep track of suspected arrhythmia attacks and submit the data for further analysis by medical professionals.
According to the company, users of Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 can generate an ECG waveform in less than a minute. All they have to do is place their finger on the watch's Digital Crown and let the ECG feature on the Apple Watch and the irregular heart rhythm notifications app on the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 perform the rest of the work. The idea behind this feature is that you can take the information that the watch has generated to your doctor. If the results are not normal, physicians can use the data as their basis in finding out if you have any bigger medical issues.
Apple stated that the company needs to gain the approval of government health agencies in a particular country before they can market the ECG feature on the Apple Watch and the irregular heart rhythm notifications app on the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 in that location. In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the company its clearance to market the feature when the company launched Apple Watch Series 4 that year. In Japan, Apple gained the classification of a "certified entity" in June when the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) updated the agency's list of registered foreign manufacturers.
