On April 22, Diana Feenstra, a woman from Norton Shores, said her Apple Watch alerted her of a heart rate of 169 beats per minute, despite no vigorous exercise.
Ms. Feenstra went to an urgent care clinic where an EKG showed she had a recent heart attack without realizing it. Further analysis determined she had a so-called widowmaker heart attack, which is caused when the left anterior descending artery is fully blocked.
“Unlike men who feel an elephant on their chest many times, a woman’s heart attack symptoms are very different,” Ms. Feenstra told the news outlet. “I had pain going down my left hand, I had a little swelling in my left foot, I had indigestion, and I just explained it away as acid reflux that I might have picked up later in life. The biggest thing was pain in my neck and shoulder, and I figured I had vacuumed and put my muscles out of whack somehow.”
Ms. Feenstra had a stent procedure and is recovering well.
“The heart is building up its stamina and I am so happy,” she told WZZM 13. “I think God used that watch to alert me to the fact that my heart wasn’t functioning properly.”
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
