From heart rate tracking, fall detection, and more, the Apple Watch is a robust health tool. Here’s how it helped save one woman’s life.
Apple often touts all of the health features found on the Apple Watch, going as far as to market the Apple Watch Series 6 as “the future of health is on your wrist.” While those marketing claims can often seem a bit much, a recent story highlights how an Apple Watch likely saved a woman’s life by detecting an unusually high heart rate.
Bold marketing aside, there’s no doubt that the Apple Watch has gradually evolved into one of the most capable smartwatches available. It can track users’ heart rate, take ECG readings, and automatically detect if someone has fallen. On Series 6, users can even monitor their blood oxygen levels. There are plenty of other factors that have resulted in the Apple Watch being as good as it is, but Apple’s serious focus on health/wellness is undeniably the most important.
This was recently reinforced thanks to ABC affiliate WZZM13, which shares the story of a Michigan woman whose life was potentially saved by her Apple Watch. Diane Feenstra’s Apple Watch alerted her that her heart rate was unusually high. After visiting a doctor regarding the high heart rate, Feenstra discovered she had suffered a heart attack.
How The Apple Watch Saved The Day
Speaking to WZZM13, Feenstra notes that her Apple Watch recorded her heart rate as being 169 beats per minute. While that would be normal if Feenstra had just gotten done with an intense workout, she says the most activity she had done on that day was walk up 12 steps on a staircase. She then contacted her husband, he told Feenstra to call her doctor, and that’s where things got interesting.
After taking an EKG test at an urgent care facility, Feenstra says he had experienced a heart attack without even knowing it. In her own words, Feenstra says, “Unlike men who feel an elephant on their chest many times, a woman’s symptoms are very different. I had pain going down my left hand, I had a little swelling in my left foot, I had indigestion that I just explained away as acid reflux that I was experiencing as I got older.” Those were all signs that Feenstra had a heart attack, but understandably so, she chalked them up to nothing serious. The urgent care then sent Feenstra to a dedicated heart center, and that’s where Feenstra was told she had a full blockage in her left anterior descending artery — more commonly referred to as the ‘widow-maker heart attack.’ After receiving a stent, Feenstra is healthy and back to normal.
While it’s possible that another smartwatch or fitness tracker could have also helped Feenstra discover her high heart rate, the Apple Watch is the hero of this specific story. It’s the reason Feenstra noticed her high heart rate, saw her doctor, and ultimately got a stent that saved her life. There are reasons to criticize the Apple Watch in 2021, but with stories like this, it’s hard to not be thankful that so many people are wearing them and being more aware of what their bodies are telling them.
Source: WZZM13
About The Author
