Doctor Uses Apple Watch to Save Elderly Passenger During Flight

Imagine being thousands of feet in the air when a medical emergency strikes.

The nearest hospital is miles away, and every second counts. This was the reality on a recent Ryanair flight, where a 70-year-old woman suddenly struggled to breathe. With no specialized medical equipment on board, it seemed like the worst-case scenario.

That was until Dr. Rashid Riaz, an NHS doctor from Hereford, England, stepped in with an unexpected life-saving tool: an Apple Watch. This is how we end up with the story of how a quick-thinking Doctor uses an Apple Watch to save a plane passenger.

Doctor Uses Apple Watch to Save Plane Passenger

During the flight, an elderly woman in her 70s began experiencing shortness of breath. Responding to an urgent call for medical assistance, Dr. Riaz stepped forward to help. After discovering that the woman had a history of heart issues, he quickly sought a way to assess her condition.

Lacking his own medical equipment, Dr. Riaz borrowed an Apple Watch from a flight attendant to measure the woman’s blood oxygen levels.

The watch’s Blood Oxygen app is intended for “general fitness and wellness purposes” rather than medical use according, as described by Apple. However, using it Dr. Riaz was able to determine that the woman had dangerously low oxygen saturation.

He immediately requested an oxygen cylinder from the flight crew. This allowed him to stabilize the woman’s condition until the plane landed safely in Verona.

After the plane touched down, the woman received additional medical assistance and recovered quickly. Dr. Riaz praised the Ryanair staff for their cooperation during the emergency. He also highlighted the importance of having medical diagnostic tools readily available on flights. He suggested that airlines consider equipping their planes with essential devices like blood pressure monitors, blood glucose meters, and oxygen saturation monitors. All this equipment could be crucial in similar situations.

“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,” he said for BBC.

The Role of Life-Saving Technology on Flights

This incident also brings attention to the growing role of wearable technology in healthcare. While devices like the Apple Watch are not officially designated for medical use, their capabilities can provide valuable assistance in emergencies.

However, it’s worth noting that Apple is currently involved in a patent dispute with medical technology company Masimo over the blood oxygen monitoring technology. As a result, the latest Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models were released without this feature.

Dr. Riaz’s quick thinking and the availability of a gadget like the Apple Watch undoubtedly played a crucial role in ensuring the well-being of the passengers. This episode underscores the potential of integrating modern technology into emergency preparedness plans, both on the ground and in the air.

You may also like: This Passenger Spent His Entire Flight Locked in the Toilet