Apple Watch ECG characteristic saves pregnant girl and her child

We’ve already seen a lot of reports about how the Apple Watch has saved people’s lives, and here we are with another one. This time, Rachel Manalo says that Apple Watch saved her life and the life of her baby, as the ECG feature helped her discover that something wasn’t right about her health.

Woman says Apple Watch saved her life

As reported by ABC News San DiegoManalo was 18 weeks pregnant when she felt her heart racing non-stop. These symptoms persisted for weeks, when she decided to use her Apple Watch to take an ECG, or electrocardiogram, to measure her heart’s electrical activity.

“I would feel tired, short of breath. (…) I click the EKG function on my watch. And then you place your finger on the crown and lay your arm still on the table,” Manalo said, describing the situation.

The Apple Watch gave her an “inconclusive” result and her heart was beating at 150bpm for more than 40 minutes. The ECG app recommended she see a doctor, who then diagnosed her with ventricular tachycardia – when the lower part of the heart isn’t working properly, resulting in insufficient oxygen in the blood.

“That type of heart issue, if not taken care of, can lead to a heart attack. And then you add on that she was pregnant,” Dr. Nguyen explains. “We talked about everything. I said ‘so when did you start noticing this irregular heart rate, you know, when did you have symptoms’ And she said, ‘you know, my Apple Watch told me.’”

Of course, Apple Watch doesn’t replace a medical check-up, but it certainly helps users to visit a doctor after getting notifications about something wrong.

Nguyen emphasizes that the data collected by health accessories like the Apple Watch can be very useful for doctors. Manalo then followed all the recommended procedures and had a healthy pregnancy.

It’s worth noting that the ECG feature is available on Apple Watch Series 4 and laterexcept for SE models.