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Apple Watch ECG feature helps pregnant woman detect heart problem, saves her and baby
Top 3 Key Points:
- Apple Watch’s ECG feature alerted a pregnant woman to a heart issue.
- The watch detected abnormal heart activity, prompting her to seek medical care.
- Timely intervention saved both the woman’s and her baby’s lives.
Apple Watch has a history of helping users detect serious health issues, and once again, it has proven to be a life-saving tool. This time, it played a crucial role in saving the lives of Rachel Manalo and her unborn baby, thanks to its ECG feature that helped her identify a serious heart condition.
Rachel Manalo, who was 18 weeks pregnant, noticed that her heart was racing uncontrollably for weeks. Feeling concerned, she used her Apple Watch’s ECG (electrocardiogram) function to check her heart’s electrical activity. She explained how easy it was: “I would feel tired and short of breath. I clicked the ECG function on my watch, placed my finger on the crown, and rested my arm.”
The Apple Watch results were inconclusive, showing a heart rate of 150 beats per minute for over 40 minutes. The ECG app urged her to seek medical advice. After visiting her doctor, she was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia, a condition where the heart’s lower chambers fail to pump enough blood. This can lead to a heart attack if untreated, a situation made even more dangerous by her pregnancy.
Dr. Nguyen, her physician, confirmed the seriousness of the condition and the importance of the early warning from the Apple Watch. “Without treatment, this kind of heart problem can lead to a heart attack, and being pregnant makes it riskier,” said Dr. Nguyen. “She told me her Apple Watch first alerted her to the issue.”
While the Apple Watch isn’t a replacement for professional medical evaluations, it provides valuable information that can prompt users to visit a doctor. In Rachel’s case, timely action and medical care, guided by the data from her watch, ensured a safe and healthy pregnancy.
It’s important to note that the ECG feature is available on Apple Watch Series 4 and later models, except for the SE models.