Story at a glance
- A Michigan woman has credited her Apple Watch with saving her life.
- Diane Feenstra was at home in April when she felt tightness in her chest and noticed her Apple Watch was registering her pulse as 169 beats per minute.
- Tests run by a cardiologist showed Feenstra had recently had a heart attack that resulted in a blockage in an artery.
A Michigan woman has credited her Apple Watch with saving her life.
Diane Feenstra was at home in April when she felt some tightness in her chest, she told TODAY. After glancing at her Apple Watch, she saw that, despite being at rest, her pulse was registering at 169 beats per minute.
“I thought maybe there’s something going on health-wise that I should check out, but I still didn’t think I’d had a heart attack or that probably I was heading toward another one that day,” Feenstra, 69, said.
After calling her husband, Feenstra made her way to an urgent care, where she was given an EKG, administered four baby aspirin and immediately sent to a cardiology office in Grand Rapids.
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Tests run by the cardiologist showed Feenstra had recently had a heart attack that had resulted in a blockage in her left anterior descending artery. The left anterior descending artery is the heart’s largest artery and supplies blood to the front of the heart. Blockages in this artery can lead to what is referred to as a “widowmaker” heart attack, given the extensive and potentially deadly damage it can do, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Though initially unsure, doctors determined Feenstra’s heart was viable and she was able to undergo surgery to have a stent inserted to clear the blockage. She has since recovered from the surgery and said the Apple Watch ultimately saved her life.
“Were it not for the fact that I had that 169 beats per minute for a period of time, I wouldn’t probably be here today,” Feenstra said. “Seeing it on my watch told me you have something going that you need to investigate now.”
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