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Apple Watch Saves Life of Bedfordshire Man Diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation

Adam Croft, 36, from Flitwick in Bedfordshire, UK, has credited his Apple Watch for pointing medics towards an undiagnosed heart condition. He awoke to find his Apple device had been alerting him throughout the night that his heart was in Atrial fibrillation, a type of arrhythmia that causes a quivering or irregular heartbeat.

Croft said he had previously experienced “little flutterings” of the heart, which his watch had not picked up, but these had not happened for months.^[0] He had never experienced any discomfort or manifestations that he deemed as serious.^[0]

But one night he got up from the sofa and “felt a bit dizzy” and when he got to the kitchen to get some water he “immediately felt the world closing in”.^[1] The next morning, he woke to find alerts on his Apple Watch warning him that the device had detected atrial fibrillation. He then called emergency services, who instructed him to “get to the hospital within the hour”.^[2]

Further testing conducted at Bedford Hospital revealed that Croft was experiencing atrial fibrillation.^[0] Croft stated that had it not been for the warning from his Apple Watch, he would most likely not have gone to the hospital.^[1] Doctors put Croft on blood thinners and he will now go through what is called a cardioversion procedure, which will use “quick, low-energy shocks to restore a regular heart rhythm.”^[0]

According to Chloe MacArthur, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, AFib is a serious condition and should not be ignored or left untreated.^[3] “Although atrial fibrillation is common, it isn't always obvious, and symptoms can be overlooked,” she said. “They include palpitations (a racing, fluttering feeling in the chest), chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, feeling faint, unexplained tiredness and difficulty exercising.”^[3]

The Apple Watch has been credited with saving many lives, as it can detect heart conditions that have gone undiagnosed, prompting people to seek medical help. In the meantime, Croft has been given instructions to “take it easy”.^[4]

0. “Apple Watch Detects Heart Condition, Saves Man's Life — Transcontinental Times” Transcontinental Times, 12 Mar. 2023, https://www.transcontinentaltimes.com/apple-watch-detects-heart-condition/

1. “A 36-year-old man felt dizzy before bed. As he slept, his Apple Watch warned him of an unknown heart problem.” Yahoo! Voices, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/news/36-old-man-felt-dizzy-164611100.html

2. “UK man credits Apple Watch for warning him of undiagnosed heart condition | The Rahnuma-E-Deccan Daily” The Rahnuma Daily, 11 Mar. 2023, https://www.therahnuma.com/uk-man-credits-apple-watch-for-warning-him-of-undiagnosed-heart-condition/

3. “Apple Watch correctly alerts bestselling author that his heart has an irregular rhythm” PhoneArena, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.phonearena.com/news/apple-watch-finds-hidden-heart-issue_id146134

4. “‘My watch warned me I had an undiagnosed heart condition'” BBC, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-64901114