Apple Watch helps save a man from sudden cardiac death

By now, we've written enough "Apple Watch saves another life" story for you to believe that the most popular watch in the world really can monitor certain key health metrics and alert you when medical action needs to be taken. But nothing we've written about in the past compares with the story of IT developer David Last, a man who lives in the U.K. Last, 54 years old, was given an Apple Watch for his birthday by his wife. That gift ended up saving his life.

According to the Independent, when Last first put on his new watch (see what we did there?), his resting heart rate was 30 beats per minute (bpm) and this reading held up on over 3,000 tests. To understand what this means, the average adult person has a resting heart rate in the range of 60 bpm to 100 bpm. Last assumed that the Apple Watch was faulty and was ready just to ignore the readings.

However, David's wife stepped in and suggested that he see his general practitioner (who are doctors known in the U.S. as primary care physicians). His GP suggested that Last see a cardiologist. In May, he had an MRI although strangely, the results did not come back until July. He also had a 48-hour ECG done to monitor his obviously abnormal heart rate.

With all of the tests done, specialists needed desperately to speak to Last, but he refused to answer five calls placed by the hospital asking him to come in. However, something clicked and he finally realized that there was something seriously wrong with him that needed to be discussed. David also noted that "The hospital sounded really panicky on the phone. As soon as I got there, they had a bed ready."

During the 48-hour ECG, Last's heart had stopped 138 times in 10-second intervals and the diagnosis was grim. David had a third-degree heart block as the junction box in his heart had worn down. He was at risk of suffering a "sudden cardiac death." As a result, he underwent emergency surgery last month to have a pacemaker installed. After the operation,  Last said that he felt "relieved" and had a lot more energy.

The pacemaker that David had implanted will be able to detect any abnormal rhythms allowing both heart ventricles to pump blood in sync. He says, "My wife keeps saying that she saved my life, and she's not wrong. If she hadn't bought me my Apple Watch for my birthday, I wouldn't be here. I will always be eternally grateful to her for it. Apart from charging it, it's always staying on me now."

He adds that "Sarah (his wife) really looked after me. She keeps saying how proud of herself she is — and she should be: she saved my life." So what have we learned here? That behind every man saved from a deadly medical condition is a woman-and an Apple Watch.

It was the Apple Watch that first warned Last about his abnormal heart rhythm and his family had no history of cardiac problems. He got married in June and even flew to Italy for his honeymoon. As he told reporters, "I had no symptoms whatsoever. We even went to Italy for 10 days for our honeymoon - I had no idea anything was wrong. Even the doctors were amazed."

On September 7th, we expect Apple to introduce three new Apple Watch models including the Apple Watch Series 8, the Apple Watch Pro (with a larger screen, a beefier battery, and more capabilities), and the budget-priced Apple Watch SE (2022). We could see a new thermometer on at least the Apple Watch 8 and Apple Watch 8 Pro that will take your temperature.

Here is the thing to remember. Had David not received the Apple Watch as a gift from his wife, he never would have known about his abnormal heart rate. He wouldn't have seen the GP and the cardiologist, and he could have easily died from a sudden cardiac event. But he did get the timepiece as a gift, put it on, saw the low bpm readings, went to the cardiologist, and was diagnosed. That led to the surgery that keeps him alive.