A woman saved from a pulmonary embolism thanks to her Apple Watch

Would Kimmie Watkins still be alive if she hadn’t had her Apple Watch on her wrist? Probably not… The young woman today thanks this little connected object because it saved her life.

A heart rate of 178 beats per minute!

While she was taking her nap, the connected watch began to ring to signal her a heart rate that was way too high during a nap. The Apple Watch clocked in at 178 beats per minute, a rate normally seen in a hard-working athlete. “I slept for about an hour and a half before my watch woke me up with this alarm that said my heart rate had been too high for too long”she explained to the American media Local 12. “So for more than 10 minutes it was too high”, she added.

She then decides to consult a doctor quickly. He diagnosed him with a pulmonary embolism, which corresponds to the obstruction of a pulmonary artery by a blood clot. It is an absolute emergency since the vital prognosis of the patient is engaged. According to Dr. Richard Becker, a cardiologist at the University of Cincinnati, people who suffer from a pulmonary embolism have a 50% chance of surviving. “Pulmonary embolism is a very serious health problem because the blood clot blocks the blood flow to both lungs”, says Dr. Becker.

Kimmie Watkins now wears her Apple Watch with pride and she hopes that her experience will convince other people to equip themselves with connected objects to preserve their health. “Connected objects are often seen as gadgets that push us to stay connected all the time, but I think they can be a great help from a health point of view.”, said Kimmie Watkins.

This alert also allowed doctors to diagnose Kimmie with a bleeding disorder. A disorder of which she did not know the existence and which could promote the pulmonary embolism.

What are the symptoms of pulmonary embolism?

Pulmonary embolism causes the sudden onset of:

• Chest pain on one side which increases on inspiration;
• Difficulty breathing with rapid and short breathing;
• Sometimes coughing and spitting up with blood.

In some cases, pulmonary embolism is not suspected because the symptoms are not very intense or not specific. That’s what happened to Kimmie Watkins. The young woman had decided to take a nap because she felt tired and dizzy. In some patients with pulmonary embolism, difficulty in breathing is not significant and chest pain is mild or non-existent. The symptoms vary from one person to another but they must always alert in a context of risk of phlebitis (risk factor) and pulmonary embolism (following a surgical intervention, immobilization in the previous month, current cancer treatment…).

Severe pulmonary embolism can cause:

• Discomfort or even loss of consciousness;
• An acceleration of the heart rate;
• Low blood pressure;
• Peripheral signs of shock (blue fingers and lips, cold hands and feet).