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Doctor saves a passenger's life on-flight using Apple watch: Here's how
Rashid Riaz, a doctor, helped save the life of a sick flying passenger using a flight attendant's Apple Watch.
Apple Watch's blood oxygen feature, which has recently been removed, helped save a woman's life during a trip. The unnamed British woman, 70, was experiencing shortness of breath aboard a Ryanair aircraft from the UK to Italy on January 9, prompting crew members to seek medical assistance.
Rashid Riaz, a passenger volunteered to assist the woman when a crew member inquired about the availability of a doctor on board. The woman, who cannot be recognized publicly, did not initially answer Riaz's questions but revealed she had a history of cardiac problems. Rashid wanted to check the patient's oxygen saturation level but was unable to do so with the equipment available on the aircraft which is when the doctor requested her Apple Watch to monitor her blood oxygen levels.
The blood oxygen feature checks the percentage of oxygen that your red blood cells transport from your lungs to the rest of your body, and low levels are linked to breathing problems.
How Dr Riaz saved the woman's life?
Dr Riaz used the watch's Blood Oxygen app to check the woman's oxygen saturation level. He handled her with an on-board oxygen cylinder. Throughout the rest of the journey, the doctor used the Smartwatch to monitor the woman's oxygen saturation level. After landing, the woman received extra medical care and quickly recovered. Riaz praised the airline's response to the situation but suggested that flights carry tools for taking bodily parameters such as oxygen saturation and blood pressure, as well as determining whether someone is having a diabetic emergency.
He told BBC, "I used a lot of my own 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."
According to the Apple website,' measurements taken with the Blood Oxygen app are not meant for medical use and are only designed for general fitness and wellness purposes'. The Blood Oxygen app is now no longer available. Apple is in a patent fight with a medical technology business over the Blood Oxygen app.
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