Nova Scotia Man Credits Apple Watch with Saving His Life

A Nova Scotia man is thanking his Apple Watch Ultra for saving his life after it alerted him to seek medical help, which confirmed he was having a heart attack.

Travis Chalmers, of Elmsdale, was playing road hockey with his son when he experienced a warm sensation in his chest and a huge headache.

“I just thought it was a flu or cold coming on and my seasonal allergies had been kicking in. I thought it was flu-like symptoms and shrugged it off,” Chalmers said to Global News.

However, his Apple Watch indicated a more serious condition. The wearable alerted him to an irregular heart rhythm, prompting him to monitor his heart rate closely. When his heart rate remained elevated, Chalmers decided to visit a nearby hospital.

“About a half hour later, I’m laying down with my daughter and my heart rate is still beating out of my chest,” he said. He used his Apple Watch to track his heart rate for several hours.

The watch said it noticed atrial fibrillation, a rapid heart rhythm that increases the risk of stroke and heart failure. Upon arriving at the hospital and describing his symptoms, Chalmers was admitted right away. Apple Watch Series 4 and newer can perform an ECG, which detects atrial fibrillation.

“When I said atrial fibrillation and gave them the symptoms, I was rushed right in,” he said. “That’s when they told me I’m probably having a heart attack.”

At 44 years old, Chalmers learned that his blood contained high levels of troponin, a marker for heart damage. Further tests confirmed he was experiencing a heart attack.

“I stayed in the hospital for a week and got more tests done to confirm and one of my arteries is 100 percent blocked,” he said, adding that the blockage likely occurred while he was playing road hockey with his son.

Chalmers will require daily medication for the rest of his life. He credits the Apple Watch’s monitoring capabilities for detecting irregularities against his usual heart rate.

“Basically, it tells you something is different from what it’s been monitoring before, and if this is out of character for you, see a medical practitioner immediately,” he explained.

Chalmers is a firefighter with an active lifestyle and a limited family history of heart problems, so the whole incident came as a surprise.

“It’s one of those things, you just don’t know what’s going on inside. It can hit anyone at any time,” he said. “I’m very fortunate the watch gave me a second set of eyes.”

According to Apple, the optical heart sensor in the Apple Watch uses photoplethysmography. This tech detects blood flow using green LED lights paired with light-sensitive photodiodes. By flashing its LED lights hundreds of times per second, the watch calculates the number of heartbeats per minute. It can measure a range of 30–210 beats per minute and adjusts for low signal levels by increasing both LED brightness and sampling rate. For background heart rate monitoring and heart rate notifications, the watch uses infrared light.

Chalmers has two kids and said he’s grateful the Apple Watch’s monitoring showed he needed medical attention.

“This was a really bad situation. If I didn’t come in, there’s a chance I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “I was able to get in there in time and figure this out, instead of letting it sit.”

These are the stories we love to hear about Apple Watch when it comes to heart monitoring. Definitely life-changing for this family.