If you live in USA you will know this The last Christmas holidays were full of respiratory viruses. From the classic seasonal flu to the already dreaded COVID-19, including dozens of other infections which, in some cases, could become very serious. This is the case that I unfortunately had to experience almost personally, accompanying a good friend named Lucía who had her best ally in the Apple Watch.
More specifically, it was the oxygen sensor on your Apple Watch Series 6. Yes, this same sensor is now banned in the United States due to legal disputes between Apple and Masimo. I’ve heard spokespersons say that the Apple Watch sensor isn’t accurate. Well, that was in Lucia’s case. Thank goodness it was!
There were no clear symptoms, but the Apple Watch was already sending warnings
I’ve been writing about Apple since 2017 and as a technology and brand enthusiast for many more years. That’s why, over the years, I’ve read and written so many stories about the Apple Watch saving lives. Without going any further, a week ago my colleague Miguel echoed an event like this experienced on a plane.
The idea of “saving lives” always bothered me because, like many other readers, I had a tendency to exaggerate. Well, knowing that an Apple Watch alone does not save a life, but that it is the medical team that does it in each case, the truth is that The Apple device is essential to have the first alert. And that’s exactly what happened with my friend Lucia.
When you live up close, “saving lives” is not an exaggerated expression.
She had been coughing hard for about a week. In fact, he had already gone to the doctor and the diagnosis was that of a “simple” cold, perhaps made worse by other stressful circumstances he was experiencing. The fact is that by removing this annoying cough, Lucie felt good. He had no difficulty breathing, or so he thought.
As New Year’s Eve approached, Lucía began noticing alarming signs on her Apple Watch. The blood oxygen sensor, which makes automatic measurements from time to time, It showed saturation below 90%. If you don’t know these values, say that the normal thing is to have it between 95% and 100%, while it is a bit worrying to have it between 90% and 94%, and 89% below is already dangerous.
One of the signs that the blood does not have optimal levels of oxygen (and therefore its tissues have not been properly oxygenated) is low saturation. And it was the case. It therefore goes without saying that Lucía’s life could be in danger if these values were true. At first I was scared, although upon talking to her and seeing that she seemed fine (except for the cough) we weren’t too worried. The big scare came when not only the Apple Watch marked these low levels. An oximeter we had at home showed the same thing.
First hospital visit, medical discharge and… new Apple Watch alerts
Given the circumstances and in order to remain calm and not experience a problematic end of the year, I accompanied Lucía to the emergency room of the nearest hospital. After several examinations such as blood tests or x-rays and after being under oxygen aerosols, Lucía started to saturate above 95%. She wasn’t even admitted, so the doctors prescribed her corticosteroids and inhalers to stop the cough and the respiratory virus which, by the way, was neither the flu nor COVID, since the PCR tests carried out were negative.
Much calmer, we went to the pharmacy to buy what we needed and returned home. Everything was apparently fine, despite the fact that the Apple Watch began to show saturation that did not exceed 94%, but since it did not go below 92%, we mistakenly considered it good. After all I had the beginnings of bronchitis and it was within the normal range. With rest and medication it would go away.
Well, none of that happened. The morning of December 30 began with Lucía not being able to sleep all night due to a worsening cough and a general malaise that was exhausting her physically and mentally. Up, The Apple Watch once again displays saturation rates of between 88% and 90%.
Things didn’t get better, even with the inhalers, so we went to the outpatient emergency room in the town we were in. There they applied aerosols to Lucía again and yes, during this time she saturated well, reaching almost 100%. However, within minutes of removing the aerosols, the saturation dropped again. The doctors at the outpatient clinic had no doubt: I had to return to the hospital immediately.
A hospitalization and an end of the year to forget (and appreciate)
The matter seemed so serious that the doctors at the outpatient clinic suggested we go to the hospital by ambulance, although we refused this transport for reasons that are no longer relevant today. The fact is that after arriving at the hospital emergency room and knowing that Lucía had already come the day before with a similar condition, the doctors did not hesitate to leave her admitted with the idea of being under continuous monitoring and with permanent oxygen.
Lucía underwent as many tests as the previous afternoon and, fortunately, nothing serious was found. Not at least to require more urgent interventions. His bronchi were very closed and only a continuous supply of oxygen and medication could help him. During the night, things looked ugly.. The constant beep of small machines from the box indicated that the saturation had fallen below 90%.
As a curiosity, the “TV” in the hospital box where we were was an iPad with software adapted to patients and their entertainment.
The nurses were under constant surveillance and, on two occasions during the night, they had to administer oxygen via a mask because the flow provided by the nasal prongs was not providing him with the oxygen he needed. So much so that the next morning I was very pessimistic about my exit. Indeed, knowing that he could be a companion, he could already foresee the countdown to 2024 in a sad hospital box.
To my (our) great surprise, After several minutes without oxygen in the morning, saturation remained between 94 and 96%. The lowest values were not very good, but an evolution was undoubtedly perceptible. So much so that Lucía went out that morning and was able to spend the end of the year at home, but not without receiving medication to the core.
The recovery was somewhat slow, the cough only subsided after mid-January, but with routine checks and with the Apple Watch as a companion to witness it, the saturation improved by day in days. Fortunately, it was a shock that, in the doctors’ words, It could have been much worse if Lucía hadn’t gone to the hospital.
So yes, a strange, but safe Christmas holiday. And all with a lesson and advice to give to anyone with an Apple Watch: If the Apple Watch warns you of an abnormality, don’t ignore it and go to the doctor. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t feel bad (Lucía didn’t feel particularly bad either). In the best case scenario, it will be a false alarm and you can rest easy, while otherwise it can be crucial for your life. Literally.
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