When Haryana resident Nitesh Chopra gifted his wife an Apple Watch Series 6 last year, he had no indication the device would be instrumental in saving his life. The 34-year-old Yamuna Nagar resident had been experiencing some chest pain, his wife Neha asked him to take an ECG on the watch.
Some irregularities appeared in the ECG and the couple went to a hospital to seek treatment. An angiography later, Chopra was told there was a frightening 99.9 percent blockage in his arteries.
After a surgery and a few days in the hospital, Chopra was discharged.
“The doctor placed a stent in his heart and said that we were lucky that anything bad didn't happen,” Neha said.
“It was the Apple Watch that actually gave as indication as because my husband is in his early 30s, we would have never even imagined him to be suffering from blocked arteries,” she added.
Neha was grateful that the smartwatch alerted them on time and wanted to thank Apple CEO Tim Cook for the technology that was key in saving her husband’s life. So she sent him an email.
"We reached the hospital only because of the technology provided by you and he is now fine and healthy. I wish you lots of love and happiness and thank you for giving my husband his life,” Neha wrote in the email.
Much to her surprise, Cook responded to her.
“I’m so glad you sought medical attention and received the treatment you needed. Thanks for sharing your story with us. Be well. Best, Tim," the email read.
Neha now plans to buy another Apple Watch and she and her husband are currently sharing the watch.
Chopra, a dentist by profession, is now back home recovering.
“We ignored the readings thinking a young man in his early 30s can't have such arrhythmia. But our last reading on Saturday, March 12, was consistent with the previous alerts and made us believe that something was not right with my heart health and we should rush to the hospital. Once we reached the hospital, the doctor did an ECG and we even compared it with the monitor. When I was in CCU, my wife and I were continuously comparing our Apple Watch reading with the monitor and they were in sync,” Chopra says.
"I definitely recommend this not just for heart patients but everyone who cares about their own health," he adds.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) records the timing and strength of the electrical signals that make the heart beat. By looking at an ECG, a doctor can gain insights about the heart rhythm and look for irregularities.
Read: Apple Watch Series 7 Review: The best smartwatch for iPhone gets even better
The ECG app on the Apple Watch checks the electrical pulses to get the heart rate and see if the upper and lower chambers of the heart are in rhythm.
In many stories across the world, the Apple Watch has saved countless lives in several ways like by dialing emergency numbers, checking for health issues and monitoring vital functions.
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