Malcolm Owen
Apple CEO Tim Cook has thanked an AppleInsider reader for telling him a story about how the Apple Watch ECG function detected a heart condition that a hospital didn't previously detect, with Cook saying the stories inspire Apple "to keep pushing forward."
In the email exchange provided to AppleInsider, reader Raymond thanks Cook for "bringing the Apple Watch to market." The evening before the message was sent, Raymond said he "felt strange," and used the ECG feature of his own Apple Watch and that of his wife's to double-check the readings.
After the Apple Watch pair revealed four detections of AFib, Raymond went to hospital to verify the situation. It turns out it was the same hospital that Raymond had visited in July after experiencing chest discomfort, but as he told AppleInsider, despite "a battery of tests and a catheter I was given the all clear."
In a further explanation of events, it was explained Raymond felt "a fluttering in my chest" and took "four separate readings," with the hospital later confirming it to be the case. In his prior visit to the hospital, his battery of tests included a cardiac angiogram and a stress test, but nothing appeared suggesting AFib at all.
"I will make sure all those I care about have an Apple Watch," ends Raymond's email to Cook.
Raymond admitted he wrote to Cook "fully not expecting a response," but received one anyway. Cook's response is brief, stating "I'm so glad you sought medical attention. Thanks for sharing your story with us - it inspires us to keep pushing forward."
The Apple Watch has been the subject of numerous stories where it has detected an ailment or saved someone's life. While many relate to the ECG function and high heart rate notifications, stories also cover the use of other features, including fall detection and using Siri to call for assistance.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
36 Comments
Awesome. Stories like this never get old.
Now that interaction with Tim Cook is possible, with a definite sign of product engagement from his side, may I advise him to make AppleWatch charging QI compatible. Advantage would be 5-fold:
1. Better reliability and less placement sensitivity
2. Easening critical charging implementation like Airpower
3. Anticipating on future reverse charging
4. Less internal production cost for Apple
5. Lessening Apple’s public anti-trust profile by opening up a standard that shouldn’t have been proprietary in the first place
Does expect the Apple Watch to tell anything while you are having a heart attack, just ask a good friend of mine.
Undiagnosed atrial fibrillation is a serious health risk.
I work in the medical field and have seen it firsthand.
As they gather more data and see how the watch can detect things, the wearables will become more and more important to maintaining good health. Some employers already give a discount to employees that wear them and some even will buy them for the employee.