A New York man is crediting the Apple Watch app with saving his life after it helped him detect signs of a life-threatening blood clot.
On Friday (October 13), James Green, who lives in Brooklyn, tweeted, "Never thought a stupid lil wrist computer I bought two years ago would save my life. Seeing my heart rate rise and eventually become a pulmonary embolism, or "clot in the lungs," "KDSPE," "KDSPs," and my other symptoms as well, I needed enough data to do it, and to realize that it wasn't a panic attack (because I have severe generalized anxiety), it was much more," Green told the Telegraph." KDSPE "KDSPs" "KDSPE."
At the hospital, a CT scan revealed a blood clot in Green's lungs, and he was put on blood thinners. Green's doctors said the blood clot could have been fatal if Green had waited longer to get medical help, the Daily Telegraph reported. Green said he was interested in the heart data because he had experienced a pulmonary embolism before (before the most recent one).
According to the Mayo Clinic, a rapid or irregular heartbeat can be a sign of a pulmonary embolism. The blockage caused by the clot causes the heart to start working harder to pump blood through the blood vessels, which can also lead to higher blood pressure in the lungs, the Mayo Clinic said.
Green isn't the first person to credit his life to a smartwatch or fitness tracker.In September 2015, a high school student said his Apple Watch saved his life after the device showed his heart rate was 145 beats per minute. A test showed he had rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which muscles release a protein that damages the kidneys and other organs.
, In April, a 73-year-old woman in Connecticut said she called 911 after her Fitbit showed an accelerated heart rate. tests at the hospital showed she had a pulmonary embolism.
Because some fitness trackers and smartwatches include heart-rate monitors, these devices may alert people to certain health problems that cause heart-rate changes, experts say. But it's important to note that many of these devices are not approved medical devices, so they cannot be used to diagnose cardiovascular disease.
Original article on life sciences.