SHORT REPORT  NON-COVID-19 SECTION Open access

Italian Journal of Emergency Medicine 2021 December;10(3):163-4

DOI: 10.23736/S2532-1285.21.00100-2

Copyright © 2021 THE AUTHORS

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language: English

ECG App on smartwatch: beyond atrial fibrillation

Massimo PANCRAZI ¹, Lucia TROTTA ¹ ✉, Antonio BRUCATO ^{1, 2}

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Ospedale Fatebenefratelli, Milan, Italy; ² Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “Sacco”, Ospedale Fatebenefratelli, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

The Apple Watch Series 4 was the first smartphone to bring ECG features cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for atrial fibrillation detecting. We report a case of a young male patient who presented to the Emergency Department after his Apple Watch recorded an anomaly, complaining of chest pain and dyspnea. Single-lead electrocardiogram tracings acquired by the patient’s Apple Watch clearly showed morphological changes consistent with acute pericarditis: sinus tachycardia, PR depression, and ST-elevation. Clinical and laboratory findings showing elevation of inflammatory markers and pericardial effusion were consistent with acute pericarditis. Although Apple Watch was approved for atrial fibrillation detection, this case suggests the potential use of ECG app also in acute pericarditis.

KEY WORDS: Pericarditis; Technology; Case reports