In a recent case, a 61-years-old man from Indore, R Rajhans felt unwell and decided to check his ECG on the Apple Watch Series 5 gifted by his son. He was constantly getting skipped heartbeat signals on his watch and decided to share his watch recordings with his doctor. Further diagnosis revealed that he had low ejection fraction and required immediate heart surgery. This helped save his life.
Rajhans is a retired pharma professional who lives in Indore, India and the Apple Watch had been gifted to him by his son Siddharth, who is a student at Harvard University and has worked with top technology firms in the Silicon Valley. As explained by Siddharth,
“Since Apple Watch allows the ECG function, one can check it on a more regular basis. Twice or thrice, in the middle of the night, my father was getting arrhythmia signals or irregular heartbeats. It’s a critical indicator.” (source)
His dad underwent a Mitral Valve replacement surgery and it was his Apple Watch that helped detect the irregular heart rhythm prior to the Valve failure Echo-cardiograph.
Siddharth wrote to Tim Cook post the surgery and Cook replied to him,
“Siddharth, thank you for sharing this. I am happy to note that your father received medical attention in time and I hope he’s feeling better now. Our team will connect with you.”
The Apple Series 5 Watch has features like ECG and heart rhythm notification to help identify signs of AFib which is the most common form of irregular rhythm. If this condition is left untreated, the majority of times it results in stroke, which is the second most common cause of death around the world after Ischaemic heart disease.
The Apple Watch has helped save many lives in the past across the world with its apps and features like ECG, Fall Detection, and others.
Below are some more instances when Apple Watch saved lives and proved it’s more than a smartwatch:
1) In 2018, a Pune-based 53-year-old lawyer Arati Joglekar wrote an email to Tim Cook, thanking him because the Apple watch which kept buzzing her to take deep breaths to relieve her stress at a time when her heart rate had shot up to 136 beats per minute, she felt that it was a life-altering moment for her.
It was a big factor that made her realize her susceptibility to heart disease due to stress.
2) In November 2019, Dr Ray Emerson, a 79-year-old veterinarian from Waco, Taxes received a notification from his Apple Watch that It had noticed irregular heartbeat.
Since irregular heartbeat can be a potential cause for atrial fibrillation, he rushed to his doctor and had to undergo surgery to correct the irregular rhythm. He credits the Apple Watch for saving his life.
3) In April 2019, a user posted on Reddit how his Apple Watch saved his life from a condition that was later diagnosed as supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). He wrote in his post that he was lying in bed, enjoying some TV and homemade brisket when his Apple Watch showed a notification about his irregular/fast heart rate.
He called medical help and was immediately taken to the hospital in a stretcher for treatment.
4) In another instance of the life-saving event prompted by an Apple Watch, Paul Houle, a senior at Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts, felt back pain after he participated in two football practices one after the other in the mid-day heat. He thought that he was a little out of shape and the practice was hard.
But, when he was back in his room, Houle checked his Apple Watch’s heart rate monitor. The watch indicated his heart rate was 145 beats per minute, which was 60 to 80 beats higher than an average resting heart rate.
He went back to the school and had his school’s athletic trainer and the school’s nurse examine him, he was immediately taken to the emergency room. Houle was later diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis – a condition in which the muscles in the body break down and release a protein into the bloodstream that causes vital organ failure.
The Apple Watch acted as a lifesaver for him as he could reach medical help much before the matter got out of hand.
|| Also Read: 2 Female Scientists Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 for Gene Editing Tool
The Latest Apple Smartwatch – Watch Series 6
Apple entered the smartwatch market in 2014. The latest Apple smartwatch is Series 6 which starts at $399. Apple claims it to be the future of health on your wrist.
Features for health
The most significant feature of the Apple Watch Series 6 is its ability to measure the blood oxygen level with a revolutionary new sensor and app. It is relevant in today’s time when people with COVID-19 may have lost levels of blood oxygen. When released from the hospital, some of them are given a pulse oximeter so that they can monitor their oxygen levels as they recover at home. Blood oxygen monitoring may be more helpful for people with an existing and already diagnosed chronic health problem.
Like other Apple smartwatches, it also comes with built-in heart monitoring electrocardiogram (ECG) and sleep tracking. A new and interesting feature can detect when and how often you’re washing your hands.
Features for fitness
The smartwatch tracks daily activities and precisely measures the workouts. It has an always-on altimeter (to measure the elevation throughout the workout) and VO2 Max calculator to measure aerobic fitness.
Features for safety
Emergency SOS and fall detection.
Features for connectivity
Call function and GPS
Conclusion
Not everyone finds it comfortable to have a constant stream of data about their bodily functions flashed but this has proved to be a real life-saver for those who want to keep a real eye on the details of their health.
