Before Your Heart Rhythm Visit: What to Bring and How to Export Watch ECGs

Dr. Matt SegarBy Matthew W. Segar, MD, Cardiac Electrophysiologist, Ascension St. Vincent · Last reviewed

Need an appointment? Call Carmel (317) 338-6666 or New Castle (765) 521-1461. Emergency: call 911.

The short answer

Bring a list of your medicines, notes on your symptoms, and any ECG recordings from your watch or phone as PDFs. A few minutes of preparation helps me find the cause faster and avoid repeat tests.

What to bring

  • A medicine list. Include doses, blood thinners, aspirin, supplements, and over-the-counter products.
  • Your symptom notes. When it happens, how long, what you were doing, and what it feels like.
  • Watch or phone ECGs (see below).
  • Other records. Past ECGs, echocardiograms, stress tests, and a sleep study if you have had one.
  • Questions. Write them down so you do not forget.

How to export an ECG from your watch

Apple Watch

  1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Browse, then Heart, then Electrocardiograms (ECG).
  3. Tap a recording.
  4. Tap Export a PDF for Your Doctor.
  5. Tap the share icon and save the PDF to Files, or choose how to send it. Do not email it to this website. Ask the office how they want to receive it.

For irregular rhythm notifications, you can also take a screenshot of the alert and of your heart rate data in the Health app.

Kardia (AliveCor)

  1. Open the Kardia app and select the recording.
  2. Use the share or email option to create a PDF.
  3. Save the PDF to your phone or print it.

Other watches (Samsung, Fitbit, Pixel, Garmin, Withings)

Most have a similar option inside their health app to save an ECG as a PDF. If you cannot find it, take clear screenshots of the recordings and the date and time.

Tips for better recordings

  • Record an ECG while you have symptoms, not only when you feel normal.
  • Sit still, rest your arms on a table, and keep the watch snug on your wrist.
  • Record a few, and note the time and what you felt.

What will happen at the visit

Expect an ECG, a review of your history, and a discussion of next steps. Depending on what we find, I may order a wearable monitor, an ultrasound of the heart, or blood tests. Read more in my AFib overview and my page on smartwatch AFib alerts.

Common questions

Should I email my ECG PDFs to the office?

Do not send health information through this website. Bring the PDFs on your phone or printed, or upload them through your Ascension patient portal if your office offers it. Ask the office staff how they prefer to receive them.

Do I need to bring my watch?

Wearing it to the visit is helpful, especially if you want me to see how you record an ECG. It is not required.

What if my watch does not have an ECG feature?

Bring screenshots of the alerts and any heart rate history. A watch pulse history helps, even though it is not as good as a real ECG.

Make an appointment

I see patients with heart rhythm problems at Ascension Medical Group St. Vincent in Carmel and New Castle, Indiana. To schedule, use my Ascension page or call the office.

View my Ascension profile

This page is general education, not medical advice, and does not create a doctor-patient relationship. It cannot replace an exam or an ECG. If you think you are having an emergency, call 911. This is my personal website. It is not an official Ascension website. I also build health technology products, which are not promoted on this page.