Teen Says Apple Watch Saved His Life

A Massachusetts teenager is crediting his Apple Watch with alerting him to a serious health problem. In fact, just a few weeks ago at its “Hey Siri” media event, the company showed off some Apple Watch apps that could help doctors keep track of patients and even read the heartbeat of a baby still in its mother’s womb.

Officials warn that the Apple Watch may have saved Houle’s life by warning of the elevated heart rate.

“I had pain in my chest and my back whenever I took some deep breaths”, he said. Houle took a nap, and woke up to discover that his Apple Watch was still reporting a heart rate of 145 beats-per-minute. The rare condition occurs after strenuous exercise when muscle tissue enters the bloodstream.

Getting the same reading as the Apple Watch, he rushed the athlete to the academy’s health center, where the nurse confirmed his blood pressure and heart rate were too high. Houle shared the escalated heart rate with his trainer, who in turn manually measured his heart rate. “I’m very grateful for that heart rate monitor”.

There, he was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a syndrome that is caused by muscle injury, where the protein myoglobin is released into the blood, causing the liver, heart, and kidneys to shut down. There was a good chance that if left untreated he would have lost control of all his muscles and would have died on the spot. I remember when the Apple Watch was coming out and I sad there’s no way we’re buying one.

Houle, who is just grateful to be alive, is still under treatment and can not play football yet. That being said, Houle’s experience doesn’t mean that the Apple Watch is ready to replace more traditional and established diagnostic tools and techniques.

Houle’s dad, speaking to WCVB, said the incident made him a believer in the technology.

Houle will reportedly be forced to miss a portion of his school’s upcoming football season while he recovers, but the outcome could have been tragically different.