The ECG feature just proved to be just more than an application on the Apple Watch. This 34-year old Haryana resident can attest to that, when an irregular heart rhythm (Afib) alert on his device took him to the hospital, thereby saving his life.
On 12 March, Nitesh Chopra, felt discomfort in his chest. On monitoring his Eelectrocardiogram (ECG) on his Apple Watch, the device threw up an alert.
Following this, Chopra and his wife Neha rushed to the hospital, where a doctor’s monitored reading confirmed the Apple Watch’s reading.
The same day, doctors took charge and performed an emergency angiography as well—which revealed that Chopra’s main coronary artery was completely blocked, this could lead to a potential cardiac arrest.
The 34-year old was operated immediately afterwards which saved his life.
“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,” Nitesh said
In a letter to Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, Neha wrote, “we reached the hospital only because of the technology provided by you and my husband is now fine and healthy. I wish you lots of love and happiness and thankyou for giving my husband his life.“
Responding to Neha’s letter, Tim said, “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”
Here’s how to use the ECG app on Apple Watch
The ECG app can record your heartbeat and rhythm using the electrical heart sensor on Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, Series 6, or Series 7 and then check the recording for atrial fibrillation (AFib), a form of irregular rhythm.
The ECG app records an electrocardiogram which represents the electrical pulses that make your heart beat. The ECG app checks these pulses to get your heart rate and see if the upper and lower chambers of your heart are in rhythm. If they’re out of rhythm, that could be AFib.
Install and set up the ECG app
The ECG app is installed during the ECG app setup in the Health app. Follow these steps to set up the ECG app:
-Open the Health app on your iPhone.
-Follow the onscreen steps. If you don’t see a prompt to set up, tap the Browse tab, then tap Heart.
