Wearable technology is not just a style statement, it can also be a lifesaver. Recently, the electrocardiogram (ECG) feature in the Apple Watch helped save the life of a 61-year-old man in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
According to Indian news reports, R. Rajhans, a retired pharmaceutical professional from Indore, was a regular user of an Apple Watch that his son Siddharth, a student at US’ Harvard University, had gifted him.
After Rajhans felt unwell earlier this year in March, he decided to check his ECG on the device.
“Twice or thrice, in the middle of the night, my father was getting arrhythmia signals or irregular heartbeats. It’s a critical indicator,” Siddharth told Indian news agency Indo-Asian News Service (IANS).
When the same result persisted, he decided to share the findings with his doctor.
After running the necessary tests, the doctor revealed that Rajhans had a low ejection fraction. Ejection fraction (EF) is a measurement, expressed as a percentage, of how much blood the left ventricle pumps out with each contraction. An ejection fraction measurement under 40 per cent may be evidence of heart failure or cardiomyopathy.
The doctor said that Rajhans required immediate heart surgery.
However, the pandemic delayed the surgery. It finally got rescheduled recently, followed by a successful heart operation.
“My dad recently underwent a Mitral Valve replacement surgery, and it was his Apple Watch that helped detect the irregular heart rhythm before the Valve failure Echo-cardiograph,” Siddharth said.
Impressed by the feature in the Apple device, Siddharth, who has worked with some of the top tech companies in Silicon Valley, wrote to Apple Inc. CEO, Tim Cook, thanking him.
Cook responded in an email and wrote: “Siddharth, thank you for sharing this. I am happy to note that your father received medical attention in time, and I hope he’s feeling better now. Our team will connect with you.”
