Apple Watch Feature Saved the Life of a Pregnant Woman and Her Baby: Here’s What Happened
In recent times, the Apple Watch has become a valuable tool in a variety of emergency situations, from monitoring heart rate to detecting falls and making emergency calls. A recent case highlights the device’s potential life-saving capabilities, particularly its ECG feature, which proved crucial for a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
Rachel Manalo, who is 18 weeks pregnant, had been experiencing a persistent rapid heart rate that wouldn’t go away for weeks. Concerned about her symptoms, she used the ECG (electrocardiogram) feature on her Apple Watch to assess the electrical activity of her heart. Manalo noted that she felt exhausted and short of breath before she decided to monitor her heart with the watch, ABC News San Diego reported.
Apple Watch alert leads to medical diagnosis
The ECG function on her Apple Watch returned an “equivocal” result, showing that her heart rate had been elevated to 150 beats per minute for more than 40 minutes. After reading the ECG, the app recommended that she see a doctor. A doctor later diagnosed her with ventricular tachycardia, a condition in which the lower chambers of the heart don’t function properly, leading to low levels of oxygen in the blood.
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Dr. Nguyen, who treated Manalo, explained to ABC News San Diego the severity of the situation: “If left untreated, ventricular tachycardia can lead to a heart attack, especially during pregnancy.” The doctor acknowledged that Apple Watch data played a key role in diagnosing the condition, saying, “We discussed the symptoms and she mentioned the Apple Watch alert.”
The Importance of Health Tracking Devices
While the Apple Watch cannot replace a comprehensive medical exam, its alerts can prompt users to seek professional help. Dr. Nguyen emphasized the importance of medical devices like the Apple Watch in providing valuable data for medical evaluations. After the intervention, Manalo followed medical advice and went on to have a healthy pregnancy. The ECG feature is available on the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer models, except the SE versions.
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How Apple Watch tracks heart health
The Apple Watch has an optical heart rate sensor that continuously monitors your heart rate throughout the day, especially during physical activity. It uses a green LED to measure blood flow during exercise and an infrared LED to take a reading at rest. In addition to monitoring heart rate, the watch also tracks blood oxygen levels, medication adherence, and can detect collisions or falls.
