The Apple Watch continues to save lives, warning users of potentially critical health issues. Most recently, it notified a thought-to-be-healthy man of low VO2 max.
One of the several health categories the Apple Watch tracks is “Cardio Fitness,” or VO2 max, which tracks the maximum amount of oxygen your body can consume during exercise. While the Apple Watch may send an occasional low VO2 max notification, users should contact a cardiologist if they see low VO2 max notifications repeatedly.
My Healthy Apple reports that a 40-year-old man that was thought to be healthy began receiving repeated low VO2 max notifications from his Apple Watch Series 6. Shackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv, and Leviev Heart Center, Israel researchers conducted several tests on the man. The tests identified a major heart issue, familial nonischemic cardiomyopathy with severely reduced left ventricular systolic function.
The condition is when a person’s heart muscle walls become thinner and weaker in at least one chamber of the heart, eventually enlarging the affected area. This makes the heart unable to efficiently pump blood.
The man’s symptoms happily improved once treatment began.
Researchers, who published their findings in the Interactive Journal of Medical Research, discussed how a device like the Apple Watch can spur users to have early screenings, potentially identifying issues before they become deadly.
