DOCTOR ON PLANE USES APPLE WATCH TO HELP SICK WOMAN

A British doctor helped save a sick airline passenger’s life by using a flight attendant’s Apple Watch. The event happened on a Ryanair flight from Birmingham, England to Verona, Italy on January 9 when a woman in her 70s became short of breath. Doctor Rashid Riaz, a 43-year-old physician, stepped up to help. He asked the flight attendant for her Apple Watch to gauge her blood oxygen levels. Riaz used the watch’s Blood Oxygen app, and found her level to be low. He asked the Ryanair crew for an oxygen cylinder which helped him stabilize the woman’s oxygen saturation until they landed in Italy. After landing, the woman received additional medical assistance and recovered quickly.
* Until she got the Extra Oxygen bill from Ryanair.
* She was short of breath. I’m no doctor, but would they NOT have given her the oxygen without the watch?
* Hmm. Airplane. Flies in thinner air. Could be a problem from time to time. Ryanair doesn’t have a blood oxygen tester in their First Aid kit? Nice job, Ryan.
* An Apple Watch is fine, but these days I’d rather be on an airplane with a mechanic with a good set of tools.

(NOTE: Have you been following the news? From CNBC: “Apple will remove the blood oxygen feature from its latest Apple Watches, a move that will allow the company to continue importing and selling the devices in the U.S. as it battles with Masimo in court (Masimo is suing claiming oxygen-app patent infringement). Modified versions of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will go on sale Thursday, Apple said in a statement. Both devices were introduced in September. When a user taps on the blood oxygen icon on a modified watch, the display will show an alert directing the person to an explanation on Apple’s website, the company said.” So, this woman just made it under the wire. The next person this happens to will just have to die.)