The Apple Watch has been credited as the life-saver of football player Paul Houle and Garry Barker alias Mac Man. An expert believes that the future of wearable biometric technology can make major improvements in people's lives.
On September 8, 17-year old senior football player Paul Houle of Tabor Academy felt back and chest pains after practice, reported CBS News. Houle said that he checked his heart rate on his newly-bought Apple Watch two hours after practice and it recorded 145 beats per minute, abnormally higher than the average resting heart rate.
After informing his trainer and school nurse who manually checked his heart rate, Houle was immediately rushed to the hospital. He was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, an acute condition caused by a protein being excreted into the blood causing vital organs to fail.
Rhabdomyolysis is considered a risk for athletes doing strenuous workouts or activities under the intensive heat of the sun during summer. Dehydrated muscles break down, releasing protein toxic to the blood, and causing the kidneys to fail, or in worst cases, death. Increased heart rate and back pains related to kidney failure are the symptoms of rhabdomyolysis.
Houle pointed to the Apple Watch for immediately informing him of an impending danger to his life. Apple CEO Tim Cook heard about how the football player was saved by the Apple Watch and offered Houle a new iPhone and a summer internship at Apple.
This is not the first time the Apple Watch has saved a life. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Garry Barker had experienced a life-threatening situation that would have turned to the worst, had it not been for the Apple Watch.
Barker has spent his life writing about everything Apple, earning him the title of Mac Man. He said that he had an increased faith in Apple products when the Apple Watch saved him from a possible stroke. Barker said that he woke up one morning feeling odd and checked his heart rate on the Apple Watch and the healthcare apps on his iPhone.
His heart rate showed irregularity, ranging between 120 to 150 bpm. Barker called his doctor and was sent to the hospital to undergo observation and treatment. Doctors found out he had a blocked artery and would have suffered partial paralysis from a stroke if he had not been rushed to the emergency room and received proper medication.
According to Huffington Post's report, Steven LeBoeuf, president of biometric tech company Valencell, expressed his anticipation of seeing what else wearable biometric tech can offer in the future. "Imagine if we had the technology to measure more of these biometrics more accurately while people do more things -- we're going to see some major life changes," says LeBouef.
Both Houle and Barker are thankful for the Apple Watch's health care abilities. The Apple Watch reads heart rate in beats per minute using light-sensitive photodiodes and LED lights to sense blood movement.
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