It’s no secret that the Apple Watch is excellent at monitoring one’s health; in fact, for many people, it’s literally been a lifesaver. The Apple Watch recently proved to be a saviour when an elderly woman became extremely ill while on a flight.
Rashid Riaz, a 43-year-old British doctor working at Hereford County Hospital in England, saved the life of a sick plane passenger by using a flight attendant’s Apple Watch, according to the BBC.
A woman in her 70s became short of breath while on a Ryanair flight from Birmingham, England to Verona, Italy on January 9, this year. After which, Dr Rashid Riaz stepped forward to assist the woman after a crew member inquired about the presence of a doctor on board.
The woman, whose identity is being withheld, did not answer Dr Rashid Riaz’s questions at first. However, when the doctor discovered she had a history of heart problems, he asked the flight attendant for her Apple Watch so he could check her blood oxygen levels. “The Apple Watch helped me find out the patient had low oxygen saturation,” Dr Riaz told BBC.
Dr Rashid Riaz utilised the Blood Oxygen app for the watch, which is intended for “general fitness and wellness purposes” according to Apple’s website. Although the app is “not intended for medical use,” as per the website, it was beneficial in this particular instance.
In order to help stabilise the woman’s oxygen saturation until they landed in Italy, Dr Rashid Riaz asked the Ryanair crew for an oxygen cylinder. Subsequently, the woman recovered quickly after receiving additional medical attention after landing.
“I used a lot of my learning during this flight on how to use the gadget. It is a lesson in how we can improve in-flight journeys [with] this sort of emergency [via] a basic gadget which nowadays is easily available,” Dr Rashid Riaz added when speaking to BBC.
While praising the airline for their handling of the situation, Dr Rashid Riaz further suggested that aircraft be equipped with equipment to measure vital signs such as blood pressure and oxygen saturation as well as to identify diabetic emergencies.
Although the Blood Oxygen app was beneficial, Apple and Masim, a medical technology company, are at odds over patents related to their software. Last week, Apple revealed that the blood oxygen app would not be available on the Series 9 and Ultra 2 Apple Watches.
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