A New York man, James Green has claimed that an Apple Watch app saved his life, after the app helped him detect signs of a life-threatening blood clot.
According to the Telegraph, Green said he got an alert from the HeartWatch app, which is available for the Apple Watch and tells users when their resting heart rate rises above or dips below a certain threshold.
In this case, the app notified him that his heart rate was continuously above his usual heart rate of 54 beats per minute.
Last Friday (Oct. 13), the 28-year-old man who lives in Brooklyn, tweeted:
“Never thought a stupid lil wrist computer I bought two years ago would save my life. Saw my heart rate go up, ended up being a pulmonary embolism,” or a blood clot in the lungs.
At the hospital, a CT scan showed Green had a blood clot in his lung, and he was placed on blood thinners. His doctor said the clot could have been fatal if Green had waited longer to get medical attention, the Telegraph said.
Green said he was interested in data on his heart because he previously experienced pulmonary embolism (prior to this most recent one).
He said:
“That along with other symptoms I was having was enough data I needed to act on it, and realize it wasn’t a panic attack (since I have severe generalized anxiety), that it was something more.”