'Lifesaving Piece Of Equipment': Man Receives Crucial Procedure After Smartwatch Call
William Frayer was walking the bike lanes near Lunken Airport in Cincinnati in February when his legs felt rubbery.
He wasn't doing well all week, but when he managed that day, he decided to go for a walk. The discomfort in his legs didn't shock him at first.
"As a child, I always ran until my legs gave out and I fell," laughs the 83-year-old, explaining that he always fell on the grass somewhere. A smooth surface before the climb. .
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But as he continued, Freire finally realized something was wrong. Fearing that he wouldn't be able to make the way back, he turned back onto the road behind some trees and said that if he fell some might see him. He covered another 30 meters before collapsing.
"I passed out because I don't remember falling and falling to the ground," he recalls.
Can Smartwatches Literally Save Lives? Some users say yes
USA TODAY: Key features on your smartwatch or phone won't work unless you know how to activate them.
She regained consciousness seconds later and saw that as soon as they saw her nearby, an off-duty police officer and her husband had rushed to her aid. But before he got there, Fryer got help. His Apple Watch dialed 911 and the operator woke him up on the phone.
"I turned and heard the phone asking if I could call 911," Fryer said.
The officer contacted emergency services while Fryer, who had just woken up, listened. Emergency medical personnel could not determine exactly why Fryer collapsed. An ambulance was dispatched and he was taken to Christ Hospital.
Shocking discovery
Christie's paramedics couldn't understand Fryer, who arrived at the hospital in good spirits and with no other symptoms.
However, a CT scan of the chest revealed significant lung disease. A pulmonary embolism, or PE, is a blood clot in the arteries of the lungs that blocks the blood vessels that carry blood to the lungs. The blockage causes the heart to work harder and can cause heart damage.
For severe PIs, the risk of dying within 30 days can be as high as 20%. Freire's PE was so significant that Christ's doctors were concerned and vascular and interventional radiologist Dr. They called Scott Tatum.
© Christ Hospital Health Network/Supplied William Fryer's smartwatch alerted 911 when he passed out while out for a walk. He said he informed family members about the failure of the technology, which helped save his life."I immediately thought, this is probably something I can't wait for. That's probably what I need to see now," Tatum said.
Tatum goes to the hospital and asks Fryer questions. Fryer said he was feeling good and nothing out of the ordinary had happened since the fall. His behavior was stable and still showed no signs of failure.
When Tatum pressed Fryer to find out how he was doing compared to his first heart rate, Fryer was shocked by what he saw next. Fryer pulled out his cell phone and received detailed heart rate data from his Apple Watch over the past few months, which he was able to show the doctor. These notes helped Tatum decide what to do next. The doctor could see how serious the tea was by observing how abnormal her heart rate and blood pressure were.
"If we don't act, I'm afraid you'll be worse off," Tatum said.
Fryer spent the night in the hospital while Tatum's team removed the blood clot from his lungs. The trial went well and Freire responded well, so he was released the next day.
"Automating his watch allowed us to quickly identify the problem and fix it quickly," Tatum said. "Most patients with a pulmonary embolism stay in the hospital for two to three days."
© Review / Josh Centers Smart watches like the Apple Watch are used as tools to alert medical services in the event of an accident or emergency.A growing trend is smartwatches as a resource.
Freire's story is not unique. There is a growing trend of using smart watches especially for the elderly who need help and people with similar illnesses.
Many false alarms have been used to help people in the gym or in normal work, on shifts and in critical situations. Watches like the Apple Watch, FitBit, Google Pixel Watch, and Samsung's Galaxy Watch have settings that allow users to customize their response options.
In one case in Tampa, Florida, an infant with a rapidly elevated resting heart rate was reported to have an abnormal response and kidney failure.
A Utah man's heart rate dropped below normal and FitBit made his way to the hospital, where it turned out his chance of survival was 50/50.
Another woman in Florida, the mother of a 9-month-old baby, had her watch's answering machine hit by a drunk driver and called 911 after she couldn't find her phone, CNET reported.
Freyr set the clock to alert the girl if anything unusual happened. Fryer says she lives alone, which gives them both peace.
"It's important for family members," he said. No matter where I fall, he calls for help.
While every injury and medical condition is different, smartwatch technology is a valuable resource whose use will only continue to grow, says Tatum.
“Basically, can I say if this will save the life of every patient in every situation? No, but for that particular person, it was a life-saving device," he said.
This article originally appeared in the Cincinnati Inquirer: 'Life Saving Devices': Ohio man faces critical treatment after smartwatch call
