Atrial fibrillation is widespread, can have dangerous consequences – and is often recognized too late. Digital watches can help with this. But you shouldn’t rely on it too much.
It was a Sunday evening when Gabriele Schubert suddenly received the message on her wrist: “Atrial fibrillation.” The Apple Watch warns that it has detected signs of an irregular heartbeat. “I didn’t think anything of it at first,” Schubert remembers. Only when the message appears again the next morning does she go to the doctor – and he checks her for a possible heart attack.