My Apple watch saved my life after alerting me to a deadly health condition I didn't know I had
- Jessie Malone, then 35, experienced atrial fibrillation (Afib) in May last year
- Apple Watch flagged her heartbeat and advised her to seek medical attention
- She underwent a minimally invasive procedure the next day and was discharged
A 35-year-old woman from New York City credits her Apple Watch with saving her life after it alerted her to a deadly health condition.
Jessie Malone, a producer at Peloton Interactive, was riding home on an electric bike when her smartwatch flagged her for a rising heartbeat last May.
'It was saying, "You need to seek medical attention immediately." It was red and vibrating. I was like, "Oh my God,'"' she said in an interview with Today.com.
Heeding the warning, she decided to go to the emergency room, where she was immediately given medication and underwent a minimally invasive procedure the following day.
'I was just going to go home and take a nap if my watch hadn't said anything,' Malone, now 36, recalled.
![Jessie Malone, 35-year-old woman from New York City, credits her Apple Watch with saving her life after it alerted her to a deadly health condition](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/25/17/84085067-13349911-Jessie_Malone_35_year_old_woman_from_New_York_City_credits_her_A-a-8_1714061567699.jpg)
Jessie Malone, 35-year-old woman from New York City, credits her Apple Watch with saving her life after it alerted her to a deadly health condition
![Malone(pictured in March), a producer at Peloton Interactive, was riding home on an electric bike when her smartwatch flagged her for a rising heartbeat last May](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/25/17/84085065-13349911-Malone_pictured_in_March_a_producer_at_Peloton_Interactive_was_r-a-9_1714061567702.jpg)
Malone(pictured in March), a producer at Peloton Interactive, was riding home on an electric bike when her smartwatch flagged her for a rising heartbeat last May
![Malone's Apple Watch began sending her warnings about a heart rate over 160 beats per minute and advised her to seek medical attention in May last year](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/25/17/84085071-13349911-Malone_s_Apple_Watch_began_sending_her_warnings_about_a_heart_ra-a-7_1714061567609.jpg)
Malone's Apple Watch began sending her warnings about a heart rate over 160 beats per minute and advised her to seek medical attention in May last year
Malone recalled waking up feeling nauseated at her friend's apartment, but still well enough for the bike ride home.
Shortly after, her Apple Watch began sending her warnings about a heart rate over 160 beats per minute and advised her to seek medical attention.
At the time, Malone was not familiar with atrial fibrillation (Afib), an irregular, often rapid heart rate that can lead to poor blood flow, blood clots and even a stroke.
'I didn't really feel anything other than nausea. That gave me a little bit of anxiety. I'm like, "That's so bizarre."'
'It started blaring that my resting heart rate was elevated and also that I had gone into Afib,' Malone added.
She remembered dumping the back and texting her friend, saying 'This thing is happening. I don't know if it's serious.'
At the emergency room at Mount Sinai West, the 36-year-old recounted her experience to the staff.
'Suddenly, I'm surrounded by eight doctors. That's when one of the doctors asked, "Has anyone in your family ever dropped dead with no explanation?"' she recalled.
'And I was like, "Whoa, what?!''' she found herself in disbelief, but soon grasped the seriousness of her condition.
![Doctors rushed to give Malone two types of medication to reduce her heart rate to 130 per minute. The following day, she underwent cardioversion, a procedure in which doctors used electricity to restore her heartbeat to a normal rhythm](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/25/17/84085069-13349911-Doctors_rushed_to_give_Malone_two_types_of_medication_to_reduce_-a-10_1714061567704.jpg)
Doctors rushed to give Malone two types of medication to reduce her heart rate to 130 per minute. The following day, she underwent cardioversion, a procedure in which doctors used electricity to restore her heartbeat to a normal rhythm
![Almost a year after the procedure, Malone shared a video of her experience on Instagram, calling it 'the scariest three days of [her] life'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/25/16/84086431-13349911-image-m-21_1714059875666.jpg)
Almost a year after the procedure, Malone shared a video of her experience on Instagram, calling it 'the scariest three days of [her] life'
Doctors rushed to give Malone two types of medication to reduce her heart rate to 130 per minute.
The following day, she underwent cardioversion, a procedure in which doctors used electricity to restore her heartbeat to a normal rhythm.
'I was in shock the whole time. It felt like an out-of-body experience. I felt very nervous,' she said.
The then-35-year-old was fortunate enough to be discharged the next day and was able to pick up beta blockers and blood thinners at a local CVS.
'It was one of those things where in a normal scenario I would be frustrated with a long line. But I was like, "Wow, I'm alive and I'm at CVS. This is great,"' she said.
Almost a year after the procedure, Malone shared a video of her experience on Instagram, calling it 'the scariest three days of [her] life.'
What she experienced, atrial fibrillation (Afib), is often dubbed a 'silent killer' and is known to be more common in people with high blood pressure.
Doctors remain baffled as to the exact cause of atrial fibrillation, which was previously thought to affect around a quarter of adults by the time they die.
But Danish experts who analyzed the health records of millions of adults found the risk has only increased.
Overall lifetime risk was calculated at 31 percent between 2011 and 2022, compared to the 24 percent logged in 2000 to 2010.
Researchers also found up to two in five sufferers will likely get heart failure. One in five will suffer a stroke.
![Malone shared a video of her running outdoor on social media](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/25/16/84085073-13349911-image-m-28_1714059952271.jpg)
!['I prioritize sleep in a very big way. It is mostly about me getting myself back in a healthy way,' she said](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/04/25/16/84085075-13349911-image-a-29_1714059958583.jpg)
Malone started changing her diet and cutting caffeine and alcohol after the horrifying experience. After months of exercising, Malone ran a half marathon in Central Park in February and signed up for a marathon in Washington D.C. in early May
Malone started changing her diet and cutting caffeine and alcohol after the horrifying experience.
'I prioritize sleep in a very big way. It is mostly about me getting myself back in a healthy way,' she said.
'The doctor was under the impression that (lack of sleep and too much caffeine) might have built up and gotten to such an extreme that it caused the Afib.'
'It was the perfect storm of essentially living in New York City and not taking care of yourself properly.'
After months of exercising, Malone ran a half marathon in Central Park in February and signed up for a marathon in Washington D.C. in early May.
'I feel like a completely different person with so much more energy,' she said. 'You need to prioritize your own health — that's the most important thing.'