A Fitbit is being credited with saving the life of a 42-year-old high school English teacher and speaking for him when he could not.

The Annals of Emergency Medicine reports that when the man suffered a grand mal seizure, doctors needed to know when his heart rate became irregular especially because he had no history of cardiac disease. The wrong treatment could have caused a stroke.

Thanks to the Fitbit on his wrist connected to an app on his phone, doctors had their answer and prevented life threatening blood clots from forming. A 6 ABC report identifies him as teacher Jeff Bravo, and said the seizure happened at school; he teaches English at Haddon Heights High School, according to the district's website.

"I think the Fitbit definitely saved Mr. Bravo's life," Dr. Vibek Sailam of Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden told 6 ABC.

 

Fitbits and other similar devices, which are usually used to track physical activity, are not considered to be "approved medical devices," and this is the first time an activity tracker has been used to make a medical decision. according to the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

 

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