My Apple Watch saved my life after my heart stopped 138 times

A British man is crediting his Apple Watch for saving his life in July after it detected his heart had stopped nearly 138 times in 48 hours.

David Last was gifted the smart device by his wife for his birthday in April and after putting the watch on, he saw that his resting heart rate was below 30 bpm on nearly 3,000 separate occasions, reports The Independent.

At the urging of his wife, the 54-year-old contacted his doctor about the abnormality and was subsequently referred to a cardiologist.

Last completed an MRI in May and was given a 48-hour electrocardiogram (EKG) to test to monitor his abnormal heart rate.

According to health professionals at the Mayo Clinic, the average adult male should have a resting heart rate of 60 to 100 bpm.

“The hospital sounded really panicky on the phone,” Last said after receiving five urgent calls from the hospital to come in.

“As soon as I got there, they had a bed ready.”

Doctors told the startled Brit that he had third-degree heart block after the junction box in his heart had worn down.

That meant he was at risk of cardiac death.

“The pre-surgery consultation explained that my case was unusual, and they had extensive meetings about what they were going to do,” Last explained.

“My heart had stopped 138 times in 10-second intervals over a 48-hour period.”

Last underwent the surgery and was able to get the blockage removed and was outfitted with a pacemaker last month. He described feeling “relieved” and having “a lot more energy.”

“My wife keeps saying that she saved my life, and she’s not wrong,” joked Last.

“If she hadn’t bought me my Apple watch for my birthday, I wouldn’t be here. I will always be eternally grateful to her for it. Apart from charging it, it’s always staying on me now.”

Last, who described himself as “fairly active,” still has trouble believing what happened to him.

“I had no symptoms whatsoever. We even went to Italy for 10 days for our honeymoon — I had no idea anything was wrong. Even the doctors were amazed.”