The Apple Watch, launched in 2015, is renowned for its advanced health-tracking features that extend beyond just monitoring blood oxygen levels, steps, or sleep. Over the years, it has played a crucial role in saving lives by providing timely alerts for irregular heart rates and automatic emergency notifications during car crashes. Recently, the Apple Watch detected an elderly woman’s abnormally fast and irregular heartbeat, prompting her to seek medical attention, ultimately saving her life.
“My Apple Watch Series 10 detected my grandmother’s atrial fibrillation today using the ECG feature. She’s now at the hospital and receiving the care she needs,” Nikias Molina shared on X (formerly known as Twitter). He added, “I still can’t believe it.”
My Apple Watch Series 10 detected my grandmother’s atrial fibrillation today using the ECG feature.
She’s now at the hospital and receiving the care she needs.
I still can’t believe it. pic.twitter.com/KK2kqhL0Kb
— Nikias Molina (@NikiasMolina) October 8, 2024
Molina posted two images of the notification sent by the watch, displaying the alert for “Atrial Fibrillation,” with an average heartbeat of 61 BPM. The watch also cautioned, “This ECG shows signs of AFib,” advising her to consult a doctor: “If this is an unexpected result, you should talk to your doctor.” One of the images included a disclaimer from Apple Watch stating that it does not detect heart attacks.
Since being shared on October 9, the post has garnered over 1.1 million views, with many users commenting on the impact of the Apple Watch in their lives.
“This is one of the reasons I made the switch to Apple for my daily. They are actually making huge differences in people’s lives with products like these. Now the AirPods are hearing aids and satellite texting is also saving lives. Great stuff,” remarked one user.
Another added, “I had the same with my mom’s Apple Watch where it detected her AFIB. The first test they ran with their huge machine didn’t find anything. So the ER doctor insisted on getting another one due to the Apple watch alerts. Lo and behold it truly was AFIB and she’s alive because of the watch providing early detection. Hope your grandmother is recovering well.”
Several others shared their experiences:
“The phone saved my friend’s life last Christmas. He was on his way home from working an overnight shift, ran into a pole, the car flipped and went over an embankment. The phone notified his mom, sister, and 911,” commented one user.
Another posted, “This happened to my dad as well. Probably saved his life!”
A fifth user stated, “I had the same experience. If I didn’t have an Apple watch, I probably wouldn’t have known I was experiencing AFIB for a very long time.”
