Tally two more lives saved for the Apple Watch. A San Diego woman is crediting the device’s ECG feature with saving her life, as well as the life of her unborn baby.
ABC News San Diego reports Manalo was 18 weeks into her pregnancy when her heart began racing continually. After the symptoms lasted for an extended period of time, she used her Apple Watch’s electrocardiogram (ECG), feature to measure her heart’s electrical activity.
Manalo is a pediatric cardiologist who treats youngsters who have heart conditions, so she knows quite a bit about heart health.
“I would feel tired, short of breath. I remember sitting down with the patient and giving a diagnosis. And I felt dizzy just sitting in my chair like I was about to faint,” she said. “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. And it takes a recording for 30 seconds.”
While the Apple Watch ECG app came back with a reading of “inconclusive,” it warned her that her heart was beating at 150bpm for more than 40 minutes (instead of the normal 60-100 beats a minute), and recommended that she consult with a doctor. Manalo then rushed to UCLA in Los Angeles, where she saw maternal and fetal medicine specialist Dr. Tina Nguyen. Manalo was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia. The lower part of her heart wasn’t working as well, and not enough oxygen was getting into the blood. Plus, Manalo’s heart was already working overtime, pumping twice the usual blood volume for her and her baby.
“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 explained. “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.’”
While Manalo followed all of the medically recommended procedures, which resulted in a healthy pregnancy, although she did have an emergency C section at 34 weeks. Manalo’s daughter Samantha was born four pounds, five ounces
“I told her (Dr. Nguyen), please, no C-section. But at that point, it was too late. My heart will not be able to handle a vaginal delivery,” she recalled.
The new mother would be put on medication after her pregnancy to control her heart problem. She had minor surgery to treat the problem and two years later both mom and daughter are doing well.
Nguyen is also a specialist in informatics, where information impacts the patient experience.
“I want all the data,” she said. “I want, you know, the patients to all wear Fitbits, all wear OURA rings and bring me all that information. Just having someone’s blood pressure when they’re at home and their heart rate can really change their pregnancy from the first visit forward. So that information is like gold to me.”
Of course, users should keep in mind that the Apple Watch doesn’t take the place of a medical check-up, but it can urge users to visit a doctor after getting notifications about health issues. The ECG feature is available on all Apple Watch Series 4 and newer Apple Watch models, except for the Apple Watch SE.