A man in Malaysia was reportedly admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after his heart rate skyrocketed to 200 BPM following a badminton match.
A Xiaohongshu user first highlighted this story, which was later shared in Facebook group Icu沒有哭鬧和爭吵.
The Original Poster (OP) reported that her boyfriend is 30 years old and has no illnesses, aside from slightly elevated cholesterol.
He exercises often and plays badminton every week, and he was even on the state team in secondary school.
Source: Anan Kaewkhammul on Canva, for illustrative purposes only.
On the day it happened, she said her boyfriend was not even playing a competitive match. It was a casual game with colleagues, including some women, so the intensity was about one-third of his usual.
After about 1.5 hours of play, his Apple Watch showed his heart rate shooting up to 150, and at one point even 200.
During that time, his face looked normal. He could talk and laugh and had no breathing issues.
However, he approached her and told her that his heart was racing. She told him to get some fresh air outside and walk a little.
He sat down to drink some water. After a short walk, his heart rate dropped to around 100. We then went to a mamak to have some tea.
Source: Stock Dignity on Canva. For illustrative purposes only.
“Over the next hour, his heart rate stayed between 100-150. He had his Apple Watch on; otherwise, it would have been hard for us to gauge what was wrong,” the OP said.
“Without a way to measure it, we would not have been able to make a judgment and would have simply told him to rest, drink some water, and sit down to recover slowly.”
He originally wanted to go home to sleep, but suddenly thought it would be better to go to a clinic for a check.
At the clinic, the doctor told them to get to a hospital within 10 minutes and straight to the emergency department.
Source: DSGpro on Canva, for illustrative purposes only.
“We drove to the nearest hospital in seven minutes. The doctor tried massaging the carotid area and did some breathing manoeuvres, but his heart rate would not come down and stayed around 150,” she recalled.
Then a more senior doctor came, gave him an injection, and his heart rate instantly dropped to around 80.
The hospital admitted him to the ICU overnight for heart-rate observation. They discharged him after two days.
Later, the doctor explained that the heart is like a thigh muscle sprinting all-out. In an instant, it could stumble and stop.
The OP added that her boyfriend could talk and laugh the whole time; his complexion was okay, with no shortness of breath, no dizziness, or discomfort, so it was difficult to judge.
“I recommend wearing a smartwatch during intense exercise to monitor your heart rate in real time.”
He also had his heart function tested, and everything was normal. After reviewing the day, they thought it might have been the morning cup of black coffee, poor sleep the night before, a recent habit of staying up late, and higher work stress.
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“So, a reminder to everyone: even if you are young and exercise regularly, if you have been under work stress and staying up late, don’t push yourself with intense workouts. Exercise relieves stress, but doing it hard when you’re fatigued can really harm your body,” the OP concluded.
When the hospital admitted the man, there were reportedly a few other young people experiencing similar conditions after engaging in sports.
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Featured image adapted from Anan Kaewkhammul on Canva and DSGpro on Canva, for illustrative purposes only.