The Apple Watch is much more than a mere fad. Perhaps one day, the lifesaving health and safety measures it has will really be put to use, just like what happened to Ken Counihan.
Counihan claims a potentially deadly disease was detected last autumn, as featured in 9to5Mac. He kept tabs on his respiration rate and blood oxygen levels thanks to his Apple Watch.
Symptoms Before Diagnosis
News5 in Cleveland, Ohio, reported that Counihan is an Apple Watch devotee who uses the gadget for a variety of purposes, including monitoring his activity levels and rest. But, in October 2022, he realized his breathing was abnormal.
Counihan uses his Apple Watch to monitor his sleep. The Health app can access his respiration rate data and may thus detect any patterns or fluctuations. The Health app's "Health Trends" section may alert you if a predetermined measure undergoes a change.
Counihan opted for outpatient treatment instead, where he had an X-ray and was prescribed medication for bronchitis before being sent home.
"I got an alert back in October that my breathing was elevated ... [It] basically said I went from 14 to 17 or 18. My wife had me make a phone call to my son and he suggested I go to the outpatient care, get it looked at, which is what I did. And they just did an X-ray. And they gave me some meds for bronchitis at the time," Counihan said.
Later that day, Counihan's Apple Watch notified him that his blood oxygen level was dropping. He eventually agreed to go to the hospital emergency department after being urged to do so by his family.
Clinical Assessment
After comparing his Apple Watch data with other vitals taken at the emergency room, physicians decided to do a CT scan. The underlying reason for Counihan's complaints was found with the help of this CT scan.
He said that the CT scan was repeated, and it was discovered that he had blood clots in both lungs.
Reports indicate that Counihan was diagnosed with a blood clot and is now "feeling much better" after being given blood thinners. Apparently, doctors warned him that he may not have woken up the following morning if he had not gone to the ER.
A Life-Saver Indeed
"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 stated.
Cleveland Clinic emergency room physician Dr. Lucy Franjic agrees with Counihan that the Apple Watch is a life-saver.
"We do have patients that come in and they do notice these trends of 'my heart rate's higher than usual' or 'it's showing me that... I'm having an abnormal rhythm.' And so having those pieces of information can kind of just help the physician to try and diagnose what the underlying issue is and to help prevent any life-threatening emergencies from occurring."
