Apple Watch helps to save another life, user diagnosed with tachycardia
The Apple Watch has been credited with saving another life due to its heart beat monitoring functionality, with the wearable device detecting an unusual pulse rate and a suggestion to go to hospital, ultimately leading to a diagnosis of tachycardia.
Posting to Twitter, host of radio show Science Friday Ira Flatow revealed his brother was "saved by his Apple Watch," alerting him to a higher than normal heart beat. According to the personality, the heart beat was in excess of 200 beats per minute, prompting the sibling to take a trip to the hospital.
Doctors issued a diagnosis of tachycardia, a condition when the heart rate exceeds the normal resting rate, which for most adults would be a resting heart rate of over 100 beats per minute. While such rates could be normal, as in cases where the person regularly exercises, it can also be deemed abnormal for a variety of problems, including electrical issues within the heart itself.
Flatow also posted a comment from the brother on the accuracy of the Apple Watch, noting "during the 15 hours I was at the hospital hooked up to the monitors, my monitors never disagreed with my Watch's reading. I checked many times."
The introduction of functions in watchOS 5.1.2, including enabling the electrocardiogram function in the Apple Watch Series 4 in the United States and the Irregular Rhythm Notification for all models, has been credited with saving numerous lives since the start of the year.
In January, a New Hampshire man credited the Apple Watch Series 4's ECG function for spotting atrial fibrillation. In February, a North Carolina native was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia following a similar Apple Watch notification, while another in Washington learned his atrial fibrillation had returned via the device.
Posting to Twitter, host of radio show Science Friday Ira Flatow revealed his brother was "saved by his Apple Watch," alerting him to a higher than normal heart beat. According to the personality, the heart beat was in excess of 200 beats per minute, prompting the sibling to take a trip to the hospital.
Doctors issued a diagnosis of tachycardia, a condition when the heart rate exceeds the normal resting rate, which for most adults would be a resting heart rate of over 100 beats per minute. While such rates could be normal, as in cases where the person regularly exercises, it can also be deemed abnormal for a variety of problems, including electrical issues within the heart itself.
My brother was saved by his Apple Watch. After he felt a rapid heart beat >200 bpm, his watch told him to "go to the hospital." He did and his tachycardia was diagnosed.
-- Ira Flatow (@iraflatow)
Flatow also posted a comment from the brother on the accuracy of the Apple Watch, noting "during the 15 hours I was at the hospital hooked up to the monitors, my monitors never disagreed with my Watch's reading. I checked many times."
The introduction of functions in watchOS 5.1.2, including enabling the electrocardiogram function in the Apple Watch Series 4 in the United States and the Irregular Rhythm Notification for all models, has been credited with saving numerous lives since the start of the year.
In January, a New Hampshire man credited the Apple Watch Series 4's ECG function for spotting atrial fibrillation. In February, a North Carolina native was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia following a similar Apple Watch notification, while another in Washington learned his atrial fibrillation had returned via the device.
Comments
Months back I mentioned how these cases will be so common they won't be news anymore.
You did say "most" adults. Can you provide proof? A normal adult resting heart rate can be anywhere between 60 - 100 beats per minute. Those of us that are more physically fit have a rate lower than 100. Mine typically hovers around 80-85.
The more fit you are the lower your heart rate. I don't remember the numbers but I believe extremely fit people could go under 60.
I have a family member (who was using my Series 3 Watch) that kept being reported of an atypically high resting heart rate. He thought it was a Watch issue but he eventually got a checkup because it wouldn’t go away and because he had been feeling tired. AFib showed up and he had a valve repaired yesterday using the MAZE procedure.
That's right. But most fit people would be over 60.
Also, some medications (like Digoxin) can lower heart rate as well.
And it's also true that A-Fib is seldom an emergency. And, it can be managed if treated properly. But, like hypertension, many have it and don't know it so it goes untreated and can cause nasty side effects such as stroke. So, yes, in those cases the Apple Watch is saving lives. In addition, even for those who are being treated for A-Fib, the Apple Watch can let them know if it flashes up again and they can work with their doctor to get it under better control (change meds, etc....). So, it's saving lives there as well. (Just not as dramatically as, say, getting CPR & such)
It's interesting the different perspective of nurses and paramedics. When I was training to be a nurse I (incorrectly) assumed that a paramedic was just a nurse with less training. Now I realize that we have very different (but equal) specialties and training. I now know that, in an emergency, give me a paramedic over a nurse everytime.