Apple Watch a hero again: Woman credits smartwatch's ECG feature for saving her life

Apple’s Watch Series has been a part of several cases wherein the smart wearable's features have saved lives. The Watch has yet again, been credited in saving the life of an elderly woman.

Anne Rowe from Alabama, US, credits Apple Watch for keeping her alive. Rowe, who has been diagnosed with asthma since many years, said as per a report by Fox 10 that her health was deteriorating since the past few years. Lately, her health worsened to the point wherein Rowe couldn’t walk throughout the house without stopping to catch a breath.

Rowe then decided to try the Watch’s ElectroCardiogram (ECG) feature that is currently available only on the Watch Series 4. Initially, she thought the breathless-ness could be due to asthma, but instead, the Watch indicated it was Atrial Fibrillation (AFib).

AFib is a condition wherein the heart beats rapidly at an irregular rate. This condition is hard to detect as people do not experience any symptoms. Afib, if not diagnosed, can develop clots, eventually leading to a stroke or even heart failures. Having the ECG feature in Apple Watch can certainly help one detect diseases like A-fib.

"It kept saying that I was in AFib and at first I didn't really believe it but then I decided I would go to my doctor”. Rowe said. The doctors confirmed that the Watch did detect symptoms of AFib accurately.

Rowe underwent open-heart surgery and is now recovering well with regular heart rhythm.

She still credits the Watch 4 gifted by her husband for saving her life. 

Apple Watch’s ECG feature has been successful in detecting irregular heartbeats at large, according to a Reuters report. The same feature helped a doctor save a life in a restaurant. 

Apple Watch Series 4 is available in India at a starting price of Rs 40,900. The ECG feature is currently available in the US, Europe, and Hong Kong. It is yet to make its way in the Indian market.