Data collected by fitness tracker saves woman’s life

Fitness trackers with extended battery life that monitor heart rate and sleep cycles, as well as all activity involving movement, are growing in popularity. While some security experts and activists are concerned that user data might be sold to third-parties, this feature might just end up saving lives, as in the case of a woman in Connecticut.

73-year-old Patricia Lauder suspected she fell ill with pneumonia but, while she waited for her doctor’s results, her Fitbit recorded a dangerously high resting heart rate of approximately 140 beats per minute lying down, according to CNN. She was rushed to hospital where CT scans confirmed she had blood clots in both lungs.

“I think the Fitbit actually helped her decide whether or not this was a serious condition at that time,” said Dr. JuYong Lee, director of vascular and endovascular medicine at UConn Health Calhoun Cardiology Center. “This condition is very critical and she may have actually died if she had not sought medical attention.”

This is not the first time fitness tracker data has helped save a user’s life. Thanks to her tracker, an 18-year old student from the UK noticed a 210 beats per minute heart rate sitting down, revealing an undiagnosed heart condition. Another user’s data showed doctors his heart history and helped them provide more accurate treatment.

Although wearables have in some cases helped reveal undiagnosed conditions, they are not medical devices per se and could also get some aspects wrong. In extreme cases, especially if public figures are involved, hackers could hack these devices to either scare users into the emergency room or use them as entry points into infrastructure for large-scale attacks.