The Apple Watch has once again saved a user’s life. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the smartwatch warned a 25-year-old American student that his heart rate was abnormally high. Alerted by his watch, the young man quickly went to the nearest emergency room.
Zachary Zies, a student in Perrysburg (Ohio), owes his life to his Apple Watch, report our colleagues from Phone Arena. Suffers from Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare inherited disease which causes degeneration of the nervous system, he has been using a wheelchair since he was a teenager. A recent graduate from state university, the young man spent Thanksgiving weekend with his parents.
As he was resting in his bedroom, his Apple Watch sent him a notification. Thanks to its heart monitor, the connected watch noticed that its wearer had an abnormal and much too high heartbeat. His resting heart rate climbed to 210 beats per minute, more than double his usual average. All Apple Watches, including the more affordable Apple Watch SE or older models, come with a heart monitor. Since 2018, Apple has also included an electrocardiogram (ECG), which is however absent from the SE model.
On the same topic: Apple Watch Series 6 – no, the oxygen sensor in the blood is not recognized by doctors
Apple Watch has detected a serious heart problem
“The Apple Watch was telling me that something was going on, and that I had to seek help to see what was wrong” explains Zachary Zies, interviewed by our colleagues from NBC24. He therefore quickly went to the emergency room. On site, doctors identified a problem with atrial fibrillation. Concretely, Zachary’s heart was beating much too fast. To stabilize his heart rate, the doctors got rid of the tissues responsible for this runaway. After an emergency operation, the young man claims to have recovered to 90%.
It’s not not the first time that the Apple Watch has saved the life of its wearer. A few months ago, an Apple Watch called for help after its owner was unwell. The watch is indeed able to detect a fall. Tim Cook believes that the Apple Watch is Apple’s greatest contribution to humanity.
Source: PhoneArena
