A British man discovered he had heart disease and needed an urgent transplant after using his friend's smartwatch to measure his heart rate. Ryan Jabb (300 years old) from Wrexham in North Wales found that his resting heart rate exceeded 100 beats per minute—above the maximum healthy range—after using his friend's Fitbit smartwatch. The former factory worker had been experiencing flu-like symptoms and shortness of breath and wanted to closely monitor his heart rate.
The data from the Fitbit prompted Ryan to go to the hospital, where tests revealed he had dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition affecting the heart muscle, preventing the organ from pumping blood effectively, which increases the risk of heart failure and blood clots.
Doctors performed emergency surgery to install a heart pump for Mr. Ryan and told him he would need a heart transplant. He has been on the waiting list for nearly four years now.
Ryan, who had to leave work due to his illness, said, "I felt unwell for a few weeks with general fatigue and flu-like symptoms I couldn’t shake off, and the situation grew progressively worse, and I started to feel short of breath as well, so I borrowed a Fitbit from a friend to check my heart rate, and it was over 100 beats per minute."
The Fitbit app shows users their heart rate, step count, and sleep patterns.
Ryan added, "My GP sent me straight to the local hospital where I was told I had dilated cardiomyopathy and would likely need a heart transplant. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and was in complete shock; I knew I wasn't well but never expected anything this serious."
Ryan received his diagnosis in September 2017 and was added to the urgent heart transplant waiting list, and he was provided with a heart pump, a device that helps the heart circulate blood throughout the body. However, he had to rejoin the transplant list again in May 2018, according to the Daily Mail.
