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The Apple Watch gave two warnings to one user on the same day saving his life in the process
But Ken’s routine with his Apple Watch changed last October. He tells the story. “I got an alert in October that my breathing was up. So, basically, you have a certain number of breaths per minute, I said I went from 14 to 17 or 18,” Conihan said. “My wife had me make a phone call to my son and he suggested I go to outpatient care, have a look at her, which I did. And they just did an x-ray. And they gave me some medicine for bronchitis at the appointment.”
The Apple Watch’s blood oxygen monitor saved Ken Conihan’s life
So Counihan realized that despite the warning from his Apple Watch, he got off fairly easily (bronchitis is no walk in the park, but it does come with serious heart disease). But the Apple Watch, once it detects a problem, is stubborn. On the same day he was diagnosed with bronchitis, he started a blood oxygen monitor on the machine. Once again, Ken gives us the gameplay.
Had he ignored the alert from his Apple Watch, Ken Counihan likely would have died overnight
Fortunately for Counihan, his Apple Watch was on the clock (no pun intended) and warned him about his SP02 level. The doctors said it was a good thing Ken went to the emergency room. That’s because 60% of people with this condition who are in the same phase as Counihan go to sleep and don’t wake up the next morning.
Dr. Frangic said she’s seeing more patients come into the emergency room with test results from their smartwatches and other devices. She says, “We have patients who come in and notice these trends of ‘my heart rate is higher than normal’ or ‘it appears to me that… I have an abnormal rhythm. And so having that information can kind of help the doctor in trying to diagnose the underlying problem and help prevent any life-threatening emergencies from happening.”
Not only does Counihan credit the Apple Watch with saving his life, but he also has friends who bought the device because of what happened to him. “I just had dinner with a friend last night…and he’s looking forward to getting my Apple Watch now. It saved my life. It’s amazing.”
