Apple has been at the forefront of integrating health and fitness tracking into its products, and the Apple Watch includes multiple health monitoring capabilities, including heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen monitoring, ECG, and others. These features have the potential to notify users of health concerns, and in some instances, have prompted individuals to seek urgent medical assistance, ultimately saving their lives. Now, in yet another incident, an Apple Watch is being given credit for saving the life of its wearer, but this time, for a condition it doesn’t officially detect.
According to a report by News 5 Cleaveland, Ken Counihan’s Apple Watch alerted him of elevated breathing where his breathing increased from 14 breaths per minute to 18, back in October. After getting a checkup, it was initially thought of as a minor illness and he was given medication for bronchitis and sent home. However, he returned soon after due to a blood oxygen alert where it dipped to mid 80s.
The Diagnosis
Counihan told News 5 Cleaveland, “It was 10 o’clock at night. My wife was very concerned. My son was very concerned. I was like ‘I just want to go to bed. I’m tired…and they were both like ‘No, you’ve got to get to the ER.”
Counihan underwent scans this time and something much more serious than bronchitis was found. Doctors found blood clots all over his lungs and even revealed that 60% of the people in his condition don’t survive the night.
“I’ve got friends that have gone out and bought an Apple Watch as a result. I just had dinner with a friend the other night…and he’s looking to get an Apple Watch now as well. It saved my life. It’s amazing,” Counihan further said.
Past instances
This is not the first incident of an Apple Watch alerting its users to a health anomaly. Just last month, it saved the life of a wearer by alerting him of his heart racing, which upon checkup turned out to be a severe case of GI bleeding.
There have been similar cases in the past where Apple Watches have alerted their users of critical health warnings which saved their life. However, it should be noted that the Apple Watch is not a medical device and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
