Who ever thought something so simple could save a person's life.
A 42 year old man was admitted to the ER in Camden, New Jersey with a fast and irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation). The decision to use a defibrillator in such cases can be the difference between giving a patient a stroke or not.
In this case it was noted the patient had on a FitBit Charge HR, and it may well have saved his life. Due to the device synchronising his heart rates throughout the day, the medical team could see where his heart rate was while he was hit by his seizure. It told them it was not due to a chronic medical condition, meaning zap him good as the defibrillator won't dislodge a blood clot which would then give him a stroke.
This being the first time an activity tracking device has been used by medical staff to make a decision so immediately relevant in saving a person's life, we wonder if more people will begin to use them.
I had a FitBit gifted to my for Christmas, and I enjoy using it, and competing with other users in weekly step challenges. (So it's out there, I kick ass.) Mine doesn't go as far as to keep track of my heart rate, and if it did I'd have shot the person who got it for me. But it's good to show how much sleep I get, and how much I walk every day.
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