An Ohio resident narrates how Apple Watch detected his irregular heart rate and saved his life.
For a time, most people consider the smartwatch as merely a fad that will eventually fade away. That does not seem to be the case for Apple Watch as it is now gradually gaining popularity as a lifesaver after an Ohio resident credited the smartwatch for helping him detect his heart problem. This knowledge eventually saved his life.
Zachary Zies, a 25-year-old Ohio resident attributes his decision to seek medical care after the Apple Watch he wore suddenly alerted him one day that his resting heart rate had gone up to about 210 beats per minute. The Ohio State graduate is already fighting with Friedreich's ataxia, an autosomal-recessive genetic ailment that can cause walking and speech issues, and uses a wheelchair to get around. He said that because of his condition, he wants to make sure he monitors everything that goes on in his body, especially his heart rate. "The Apple Watch was pretty much telling me something is up, and you need to go in and get help to see what's actually wrong," Zies said. He considers said the knowledge he learned from his Apple Watch imparted saved his life.
Seeing that the Apple Watch readings of his resting heart are way beyond normal, he decided to seek a doctor's appointment to see what is wrong. When he got to the hospital, the doctors there found out that Zies required an atrial fibrillation ablation to repair an atrial flutter. Atrial flutter is a common abnormal heart rhythm affecting the upper heart chamber or atria. Doctors say an abnormal electrical circuit causes this, making the atria beat rapidly and flutter instead of squeezing fully. When the heart beats too fast, it might not pump blood efficiently, causing vital organs like the brain and heart muscles to fail due to inadequate blood supply, resulting in a heart attack or stroke. Zies said that the initial data provided by Apple Watch saved his life.
The #AppleWatch has been praised for keeping one Ohio resident alive, by notifying them of an unusually high heartrate that led to a life-saving medical procedure. https://t.co/3o1od4E1qT pic.twitter.com/azvreGuZf4 — AppleInsider (@appleinsider) November 29, 2020
The atrial fibrillation ablation procedure that Zies underwent allowed his heart rate to return to normal levels. The Ohio State graduate said that he is around 90% recovered. He still prefers to wear his Apple Watch even in the hospital and proudly states that the smartwatch helped doctors save his life. The story of Zachary Zeis and how his Apple Watch saved his life is not unique. There are many other stories like him, who, because of the Apple Watch, allowed them to save their own or someone else's life.
In these instances, Apple Watch played a major role in warning someone of a potentially serious health issue or alerting loved ones or emergency responders that someone needs medical help. Apple has compiled videos of such stories to highlight how the Cupertino-based tech giant's smartwatch helped save a life. Apple Watch Series 6, the company's latest smartwatch, includes features like heart rate monitoring, Blood Oxygen monitoring, ECG result generation capabilities, and fall detection function.
