Fitbit Used to Save Someone’s Life

People these days like using technology for a wide range of abilities, from playing a game to tracking your morning run. Using technology to track your activities has become a big thing, with smart watches and sports wristbands alike offering the ability to track and monitor your actions, a feature that may have just allowed the Fitbit to save someone’s life.

When he was submitted to the emergency ward of Our Lady of Lourdes Medical center in Camden, doctors were alarmed to discover the 42-year old had an irregular and fast heartbeat. These properties are often those which can trigger a stroke, and could have been chronic or caused by a seizure, if it was chronic, the traditional treatment for the fast heartbeat would have triggered a stroke.

Back in the hospital, the staff noticed the man was wearing nothing other than a Fitbit, a device designed to help track people’s health. In this case, it was the heartbeat monitor that helped inform the doctors that the issue wasn’t chronic, allowing the staff to treat the condition safely knowing that the treatment wouldn’t cause a stroke.

While Fitbits and alternative technologies are often used by doctors to help keep track and monitor long-term health conditions, this is the first time we’ve seen the technology directly used to save someone’s life.