In the first case of its kind in India to date, the electrocardiogram (ECG) function of the Apple Watch has saved the life of a 61-year-old Indore resident, and Apple CEO Tim Cook wished him a fast recovery after surgery.
R. Rajhans, a retired pharmacist using an Apple Watch Series 5, decided to check his ECG on the Apple Watch after feeling bad in March of this year.
The Apple Watch was gifted to him by his son Siddharth, a Harvard University student who has worked with some of Silicon Valley’s top tech companies.
“Since the Apple Watch enables the ECG function, one can check it more regularly. Two or three times, in the middle of the night, my father was getting signals of arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat. It is a critical indicator,” Siddharth said. .
When the same result persisted, he decided to share the findings with his doctor.
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Although Rajhans suffered from hypertension, he did not have any heart conditions.
Further diagnosis revealed that Rajhans had a low ejection fraction and required immediate cardiac surgery.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the surgery was delayed, but Rajhans continued to monitor his ECG on his Apple Watch.
“My dad had mitral valve replacement surgery and it was his Apple Watch that helped detect the irregular heart rhythm before the valve failure echocardiogram,” Siddharth said.
After the surgery, Siddharth wrote to Cook and heard from him last week.
Read also: An Apple Watch saved this man’s life by asking for help after a bad fall
“Siddharth, thank you for sharing this. I am glad to hear that your father received medical attention on time and I hope he is feeling better now. Our team will be connecting with you,” Cook replied in an email.
Then the Apple team contacted the Rajhans family.
“The idea of having a device like Apple Watch is to strike a balance between using technology and medical awareness to take over our parents’ lives. It saved my father’s life. It is a life-changing product.” Siddharth said.
The ECG app and irregular heart rate notification feature help users identify signs of AFib, the most common form of irregular rhythm.
When left untreated, atrial fibrillation is one of the leading conditions that can lead to stroke, the second most common cause of death worldwide.
To date, the Apple Watch has saved many lives around the world through its health features like ECG, Fall Detection, and others.
In 2018, a 53-year-old Pune-based attorney, Arati Joglekar, wrote an email to Cook, thanking him for a life-changing moment, courtesy of his Apple Watch, when the wearable device kept ringing for deep breaths and relief. stress while her heart rate had skyrocketed to 136 beats per minute.
Her son wrote an email to Cook, to which Cook replied, “I’m happy your mom is doing well. Thank you for your note and kind words. The best.”
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