Cincinnati man credits smartwatch and app for saving his life

A Cincinnati man says he’s grateful to be alive because of the life-saving assistive technology he uses every day. On February 6, William Fryer was walking around Lunken Airport to exercise after not feeling well for a few days. During the walk, the 83-year-old began to feel unsteady. “I noticed my legs turning into rubber,” Fryer said. “I approached where I would have gone behind some trees. And I decided, no, if I have to come down, I’m going to do it here where everyone can see me.” Fryer passed out. In doing so, his Apple Watch notified 9-1-1 and his listed family members to be automatically notified in the event of an emergency. A nearby off-duty police officer saw Fryer and assisted him until EMS teams arrived through the GPS notification given on the watch. help.Fryer elected to be taken to Christ Hospital, where he learned he had a large pulmonary embolism. Still, after recovering from his fainting episode, Fryer told WLWT he felt fine, didn’t look sick, and didn’t have difficulty breathing or chest pain. Scott Tatum, a vascular and interventional radiologist affiliated with Christ Hospital, was made aware of Fryer’s pulmonary embolism and rushed to the hospital for treatment. of his death, probably within 30 days of the event when it really comes down to it,” Tatum said of Fryer’s condition when he arrived at the hospital. “When he walked in” , Fryer said of Tatum coming to talk to him face to face. “started asking me, ‘Well, what’s your blood pressure?’ I took the phone out and showed him this app,” Fryer said. In addition to having an Apple Watch, Fryer also has an iPhone. Fryer considers himself a tech junkie and shared with WLWT how how much he loves gadgets, including his wearable tech, iPhone and smart home scale.Fryer estimated that for at least six months he intentionally tracked and entered personal health data, such as daily blood readings of pressure, in his Withings app, which also tracks data from his smart scale at home. At all times, Freyer presented a large amount of personalized and accurate data, not estimated, to Tatum. “It was my first experience with so much technology involved in a patient’s care, because I think it’s really made a difference in how we’ve chosen to elevate their level of care,” Tatum said. Tatum elected to quickly remove Fryer’s pulmonary embolism with a suction device. It took three attempts to remove about 95% of the clot. Fryer described the lumps as “thick slices of bacon,” as Tatum told WLWT the clot was at least a foot long. Tatum told WLWT that Fryer’s vital signs immediately improved and she was able to discharge Fryer the next day. “I was proud,” Fryer noted, that he could provide his own daily technology and specific tracking data to help expedite his diagnosis and treatment. “I had the answers. I had real answers. Answers I couldn’t remember.” He encourages others who feel comfortable tracking their own daily lives to also do so through wearable technology with health tracking software or apps. Fryer says he’s back to talking marches and hopes to ride motorcycles again. Specifically, he says his main health goal is to outlive his mother, who lived to be nearly 104 years old.

CINCINNATI—

A Cincinnati man says he’s grateful to be alive because of the life-saving assistive technology he uses every day.

On February 6, William Fryer was out for a walk at Lunken Airport to exercise after not feeling well for a few days. During the walk, the 83-year-old began to feel unsteady.

“I noticed my legs turning into rubber,” Fryer said. “I approached where I would have gone behind some trees. And I decided, no, if I have to come down, I’m going to do it here where everyone can see me.”

Fryer passed out. In doing so, his Apple Watch notified 9-1-1 and his listed family members to be automatically notified in the event of an emergency. An off-duty police officer nearby saw Fryer and assisted him until EMS crews arrived through the GPS notification given on the watch.

“It helped me when I needed it,” Fryer said of his smartwatch working fine when he needed help the most.

Fryer elected to be taken to Christ Hospital, where he learned he had a large pulmonary embolism. Still, after recovering from his fainting episode, Fryer told WLWT he felt fine, didn’t look sick, and didn’t have difficulty breathing or chest pain.

Dr. Scott Tatum, a vascular and interventional radiologist affiliated with Christ Hospital, was made aware of Fryer’s pulmonary embolism and rushed to the hospital for treatment.

“Mr. Friar probably had between honestly, a 10 to 50 percent chance of dying, probably within 30 days of the event ultimately,” Tatum said of Fryer’s condition when he arrived at the hospital. .

“When he walked in,” Fryer said of Tatum coming to talk to him face-to-face. “[He] started asking myself, ‘Well, what’s your blood pressure?’ I took out the phone and showed him this app,” Fryer said.

In addition to having an Apple Watch, Fryer also has an iPhone. Fryer considers himself a tech junkie and shared with WLWT how much he loves gadgets, including his wearable tech, iPhone and smart home scale.

Fryer estimated that for at least six months he intentionally tracked and entered personal health data, such as daily blood pressure readings, into his Withings app, which also tracks data from his smart scale at home. At all times, Freyer presented a large amount of personalized and exact data, not estimated, to Tatum.

“It was my first experience with so much technology involved in a patient’s care, because I think it really made a difference in how we chose to elevate their level of care,” Tatum said.

Tatum elected to quickly remove Fryer’s pulmonary embolism with a suction device. It took three attempts to remove about 95% of the clot. Fryer described the lumps as “thick slices of bacon,” as Tatum told WLWT the clot was at least a foot long.

Tatum told WLWT that Fryer’s vital signs immediately improved and she was able to release Fryer the next day.

“I was proud,” Fryer remarked, providing his own daily technology and specific tracking data to help expedite his diagnosis and treatment. “I had the answers. I had real answers. Answers I couldn’t remember.”

Fryer says he will continue to track his data in hopes of providing accurate medical history and patterns rather than guesswork should another medical emergency arise. He encourages others who feel comfortable tracking their own daily lives to also do so through wearable technology with health tracking software or apps.

Fryer says he’s back to talking marches and hopes to ride motorcycles again. Specifically, he says his main health goal is to outlive his mother, who lived to be nearly 104 years old.