Malcolm Owen
Apple CEO Tim Cook has reacted to a thank you note after an Apple Watch helped save a dentist's life, saying he was glad that medical attention was sought and treatment received.
Nitesh Chopra, a dentist in Haryana, India, felt discomfort in his chest, prompting him to use the ECG function of the Apple Watch Series 6 to get a reading. After seeing the results, Chopra and wife Neha consulted a doctor about the symptoms and reading.
He was found to have a blocked artery, which led to the dentist receiving treatment. After the intervention, Nitesh said he was "blessed" and "can't express" his gratitude to the Apple Watch for helping him at an early stage, reports the Hindustan Times.
"Initially I used Apple Watch as a fashion accessory and to check the time and my step count, and could not imagine that one day it will save my life," he said.
At the hospital, an ECG was performed to monitor Nitesh's condition, but the couple was amazed at the accuracy of the Apple Watch's version. "When I was in CCU, my wife and I were continuously comparing our Apple Watch reading with the monitor, and they were in sync," said Nitesh.
Following the medical incident, Neha sent an email to Tim Cook, thanking the CEO for saving Nitesh's life. In response, Cook emailed "I'm very glad you sought clinical evaluation and received the care you desired. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Have a good day. Best wishes, Tim."
The Apple Watch has repeatedly been credited with saving the lives of its users over the last few years. Other examples of the phenomena include an Australian nursing student's Apple Watch detecting thyroid issue symptoms months ahead of a diagnosis, fall detection helping an elderly woman in an incident that led to a lung cancer diagnosis, and it calling emergency services after a man fell from an electric bike.
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
24 Comments
This man made a conscious decision to use his Apple Watch to check his health. In my case, my Apple Watch gave me an unexpected message saying there was something wrong with my heart rate and I should check with my doctor. I had been feeling extra tired that day but I didn't know that grogginess could be a symptom of a heart problem, and my Apple Watch brought my condition to my attention. A couple of the nurses in the E.R. were so impressed that my Apple Watch detected this that they told me they were going to get one, too. Did it save my life? I think I can say "yes" without much exaggeration.
My advice is that if you feel abnormal in any way, including being unusually tired, use your Apple Watch's ECG. If it detects a problem, you'll have a permanent record of the problem when it occurred. (Although I'm not sure if a Medical Examiner will [or can] check your online HealthKit data if you should die before you get medical attention.) The quality of the Apple Watch ECG's readings aren't as good as the ones you get in a hospital, mostly because the hospital's readings are taken from a half dozen contact points on your chest, but it's better than nothing.
Also, at the end of an ECG there's an "Add Symptoms" button where you can choose to flag certain selectable symptoms. It's best to use this every time to make a conscious decision to review and record extra symptoms. If you have none, make the decision to click "None."
I really love hearing these kinds of stories about the Apple Watch. And it got me thinking, has anyone ever heard of the Fitbit watches doing the same thing. Serious question. I know everything is Apple here and I love Apple. I’ve even had several versions of the watch, but currently I have the Fitbit Sense. The main reason why I went back to a Fitbit (I had one before Apple Watch S1 was even introduced) is the amazing battery life on them. I had to remember to charge the Apple Watch everyday and it got annoying.
Did he send a thank you letter to the CEO of the company that invented the stint that is keeping his artery open?
I remember iKnockoff morons praising Google saying “Google is extending life!” Because of some random cancelled moonshot project that died long ago. Fast forward a few years and Apple is actually saving lives!