Apple Watch was credited for detecting an unnoticed ‘Widow Maker’ heart attack

A Michigan-based news outlet reported that an Apple Watch had helped save a woman’s life after alerting her to an abnormally high heart rate. After checking herself into medical care, it was revealed that she had a ‘Widow Maker‘ heart attack without realising it.

“The day in question (22 April), I had 169 beats per minute heart rate even though the most vigorous exercise I had done was to walk up 12 steps. So I called my husband at work and said do you think this is concerning? And he said call your doctor,” said Diane Feenstra.

After days of analysis, it was determined she had a full blockage in the ‘Widow Maker’ artery. If blood gets 100% blocked at the critical location, it may be fatal without emergency care.

Feenstra also revealed that she hadn’t realised it was a heart attack. She explained that “unlike men who feel an elephant on their chest many times, a woman’s symptoms are very different”.

“… I had pain going down my left hand, I had a little swelling in my left foot, I had indigestion that I just explained away as acid reflux that I was experiencing as I got older. The biggest thing was pain in my shoulder and I figured I had vacuumed and put my muscles out of whack somehow,” she continued.

Feenstra credited her Apple Watch for saving her life after having originally received it as a birthday gift from her husband. You’re able to check your heart rate any time using the Heart Rate app on your Watch, and it will even let you know if it measures a higher resting heart rate after you’ve been inactive for at least 10 minutes.

In January 2020, we reported that a Malaysian was also made aware of a heart issue via his Apple Watch. His watch was showing a heart notification with a reading of 120bpm. An adult usually has a resting heart rate between 50-100bpm and if you have an elevated heart rate while being inactive, it could be a warning sign.

Apple’s iOS 14.6 and watchOS 7.5 update enables ECG and irregular rhythm notification for users in Malaysia. The ECG feature, which enables consumers to get an electrocardiogram reading directly from their wrist, is available on the Apple Watch Series 4, 5 and 6. As for the irregular heart rhythm notification feature, it can alert you if atrial fibrillation (AFib) is identified, and is supported on Apple Watch Series 3 and later.

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