Tim Cook Tweets Story of User's Apple Watch Detecting Atrial Fibrillation

Apple CEO Tim Cook today shared a story on Twitter of an Apple Watch that alerted its user to atrial fibrillation, potentially saving their life in the process.

ecgapplewatchinaction
Elissa Lombardo tweeted Cook with her husband's experience with Apple Watch that occurred just two days after he started wearing the device.

The smartwatch's ECG feature detected the case of A-Fib during an elevated heart rate, which led her husband to seek medical attention.

Medical professionals apparently discovered a "major blockage" in his arteries but were able to correct the problem, and two days later he was feeling fine again.

According to Lombardo, her husband presented with similar symptoms in the past, but on those occasions he never visited the emergency room to get them checked out.


This isn't the first time an Apple Watch has potentially saved someone's life. When the ECG feature launched in December in the U.S., TIME published a story about a 46-year-old Texas resident who was having trouble breathing normally.

Fortunately, since he was wearing an Apple Watch and participating in the recent Apple Heart Study, he was alerted to signs of an irregular heartbeat and went to the emergency room.

At the hospital, doctors hooked him up to an ECG machine and found signs of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can lead to stroke and other potentially fatal complications. He spent the next few days in the hospital while doctors returned him to a normal sinus heart rhythm.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Tags: ECG, Tim Cook

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...

Top Rated Comments

arkitect Avatar
87 months ago
Apparently you guys have healthy hearts with the mediterranean diets so will probably last in the queue ;):D
Alas, that used to be true…

;)

Leading ten fast food chains in Italy as of December 2018 ('https://www.statista.com/statistics/561541/top-fast-food-chains-on-facebook-in-italy/')



Edit: Seems they even have ambulances on standby outside.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zxxv Avatar
87 months ago
Meanwhile in the UK people are writing Tim on how they are dead and how the feature could have saved their lives.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
87 months ago
I’m in Italy and want my life saved, too! Come on Tim.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dave245 Avatar
87 months ago
In my opinion the Apple Watch is one of Apples best products to date, alongside the AirPods of course :)

Now if only Apple would release a new iMac!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbednarz Avatar
87 months ago
Meanwhile in the UK people are writing Tim on how they are dead and how the feature could have saved their lives.
They should probably be taking it up with the proper medical regulatory boards then. Don't you think Apple would like to have this feature activated around the world?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spazzcat Avatar
87 months ago
Meanwhile in the UK people are writing Tim on how they are dead and how the feature could have saved their lives.
Those people should write their government to speed up the process of approving the feature...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)