Life saving Apple watch – the ultimate proof of a med student!

In Australia, a medical student discovered that she had been suffering from a thyroid problem for several months. His Apple Watch had detected cardiovascular problems and the first signs of the pathology, but the notification is not activated by default. Instructions for the watch to warn the user of the first worrying signals.

In this pandemic period, manufacturers of connected watches are constantly promoting health-related sensors. Real-time pulse taking or sleep monitoring are the most well-known examples, but if you dig into the options, you can discover functions for monitoring stress or measuring blood oxygenation levels.

This is the case with the Apple Watch, and an Australian nursing student urges Apple Watch owners to turn on their “Heart Health Levels” notifications. Indeed, in a video posted on TikTok, she reveals, with supporting graphics, how her watch had detected changes in her health and that a notification system should have made her understand earlier that something was wrong. .

A very rare birth defect

It was only two months later that he was diagnosed with thyroid hemiagenesis, a very rare birth defect of the thyroid gland. “Don’t get me wrong, your Apple Watch is definitely not something you should follow as medical advice, but it can be useful as a tool to prompt you to do further investigation,” she explains. About me, I really regret not turning on all the settings, noticing the changes, and going to see the doctor sooner. »

Notifications warn of any trouble

As this student explains, “Heart Health Levels” notifications can help users detect possible health issues like too high or too low heart rates, or arrhythmia. To enable Apple Watch health notifications, go to the “Apple Watch” app on your iPhone, then tap “My Watch”. Scroll down to “Heart”. There you can configure your ECG app to detect possible signs of atrial fibrillation by indicating your minimum and maximum heart rates. This concerns all Apple Watches from 4 to 7, with the exception of the Apple Watch SE.

Next, you need to enable “Heart Health Levels” notifications. Another adjustment to be made is the configuration of the “Blood oxygen” application and the measurements in the background. Open the “Health” app on your iPhone. Press “Browse”, then select “Respiratory, Blood Oxygen” and “Enable”.

Once setup is complete, open the “Blood Oxygen” app on your Apple Watch to measure your blood oxygen levels. This measurement is only available for Apple Watch 6 and 7, and it requires standing still for 15 seconds. If the value is less than 95%, it is advisable to talk to your doctor.

Apple Watch: the connected watch saved the lives of two people

In the US, Apple’s smartwatch saved the life of a teenage girl with undetected kidney disease and a man with a ruptured ulcer. In both cases, the Apple Watch detected an abnormally high heart rate and triggered an alert.

After helping the Australian police to confuse the supposed murderer of a pensioner, the Apple Watch has just distinguished itself by helping to save the lives of two people in the United States. Indeed, the heart rate sensor of the connected watch from Apple was able to detect an alarming level and recommended the consultation of a doctor in an emergency.

The first case involves an 18-year-old girl living in Tampa, Florida. While she was in a church, her Apple Watch alerted her to her resting heart rate which reached 190 beats per minute. The watch recommended medical consultation as soon as possible. Taken to the emergency room by her nurse mother, the teenager was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease which she did not know she was suffering from.

A study has proven the effectiveness of connected watches

The second story is that of William Monzidelis. This 32-year-old man was at work when he started feeling dizzy. His Apple Watch sounded an alert warning him that his heart rate was at an alarming level. Soon after, he started bleeding from his mouth and went to the emergency room. Assessment: William suffered from a ruptured ulcer which caused severe bleeding. Without the warning from his connected watch, he would not have reacted quickly enough to avoid the tragedy.

According to a study conducted by the University of California at San Francisco, connected watches such as Apple Watch or Android Wear are sensitive enough to detect abnormal heart rhythms with 97% accuracy.

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