Recently, a story about a man named Ken Counihan who loved to use his Apple Watch was published in Cleveland’s News5 (via 9to5Mac). Counihan used his Apple watch to listen to music and keep track of his workouts with the device on his wrist.
“I’m exceptionally dynamic and I do like to monitor what I’m doing calorie stuff. I’ll take it off and charge it so I can wear it during the day. I also wear it to bed to monitor my sleep.”
One user received two alerts from the Apple Watch simultaneously, saving his life
However, in October of last year, Ken’s Apple Watch routine changed. The story is told by him. In October, I was notified that my breathing was becoming more rapid. “So basically, you have a certain number of breaths per minute,” Counihan stated. “I said I went from 14 to 17 or 18.” My wife instructed me to call my son, who advised me to visit the outpatient care facility and have it examined. And an X-ray was just taken. Additionally, at the time, I was given medication for bronchitis.
Therefore, Counihan concluded that, despite the alert from his Apple Watch (bronchitis is not a walk in the park, but it beats having a serious heart condition), he got away relatively unscathed. However, the Apple Watch is persistent once it detects a problem. The blood oxygen monitor on the device started working the same day he got the bronchitis diagnosis. Ken provides us with the play-by-play once more.
Counihan stated, “My blood oxygen which is normally in the mid-90s, which is what (it) is supposed to be, kind of 95 and up started to get out to the mid-80s.” It was ten in the evening. My significant other was exceptionally concerned. My child was exceptionally concerned. I just wanted to sleep, I thought. I’m worn out, and they both said, “No, you have to get to the ER.” He went to the emergency room, where doctors again ordered additional tests after hearing the Apple Watch’s numbers.
Ken Counihan probably would have died instantly if he had ignored the alert from his Apple Watch
Counihan was fortunate that his Apple Watch was constantly alerting him to his SP02 level (no pun intended). Ken’s trip to the emergency room was praised by the doctors. This is because sixty percent of people with this condition at the same stage as Counihan go to bed and do not wake up the next day.
According to Dr. Franjic, the number of patients bringing test results from smartwatches and other devices to the emergency room is on the rise. “We do have patients who come in and they do notice these trends of “my heart rate is higher than usual” or “it’s showing me that… I’m having an abnormal rhythm,” she says. As a result, having those pieces of information can kind of just help the doctor try to figure out what the underlying problem is and help prevent any emergencies that could be life-threatening.”
Not only does Counihan believe that the Apple Watch saved his life, but he also has friends who have purchased the device as a result of what happened to him. I just ate with a companion the other night…and he’s hoping to get an Apple Watch now too. My life was saved. It’s incredible.”