An Apple Watch has been credited with saving a St. Louis woman’s life by alerting her that her heart rate was too low on multiple occasions. The warnings led to multiple hospital visits and the installation of a pacemaker.
Retired Nurse Practitioner Patti Sohn told St. Louis-based KMOV4 that while sitting at home on the couch, she was alerted of an abnormally low heart rate and rushed to the hospital.
After a number of tests, her heart rate returned to a normal range. She went home with a monitoring device, but four days later the watch beeped again because of a low heart rate. Sohn then had to have a pacemaker put in.
“I know this isn’t a medical device, but I tell you I really believe it saved my life by alerting me of my heart rate,” said Patti Sohn. “I would have not gone to the hospital.”
Sohn’s Apple Watch was a Mother’s Day gift from her son.
Dr. Curtis Steyers, a BJC Medical Group Cardiologist at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, says that anyone who is feeling symptoms, including severe lightheadedness or a feeling like they could pass out, should seek medical help. The best way to diagnose a heart rhythm disorder is by using traditional methods like an electrocardiogram or EKG.
