Smartwatches are everywhere these days, and we typically rely on them for everything from tracking steps to making sure we don't miss text messages. One man, however, gives full credit to his Apple Watch for saving his life.
Ken Counihan was a 62-year-old runner who had no known heart disease risk factors (other than his age) when he nearly died of a pulmonary embolism in 2022. His Apple Watch tipped him off that he had low blood oxygen levels, prompting him to seek quick care that prevented him from dying.
Pulmonary embolism is the third leading cause of death from cardiovascular disease and happens when blood clots block an artery in the lungs, so blood and gas cannot flow normally. It's the third leading cause of death from cardiovascular disease, killing more than 49,000 people in 2020 . Yet, it generally doesn't get the same attention as the two causes of cardiovascular death above it (heart attack and stroke).
"I was lucky to survive this silent killer," Counihan says. Now, Counihan is hoping to help others understand the signs and symptoms of pulmonary embolism before it's too late—including one sign he wishes he had flagged sooner.
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The Unexpected Pulmonary Embolism Sign One Man Wishes He Had Paid Attention To
Counihan wants to flag more than one sign and risk factor—and wishes he did—but the earliest one was calf pain.
"I’m a runner, and when we returned from our trip to Santorini, Greece, in August 2022," Counihan says, "I had pain in my left calf. I didn’t know it was a blood clot, so I went to physical therapy and continued running."
To be fair, running is an excellent way to reduce heart disease risk. The American Heart Association recommends getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise weekly. Consuming a healthy diet is another way to lower your risk for cardiovascular disease. Counihan was doing that, too.
"My wife and I had been following a functional medicine routine with the Cleveland Clinic since 2014," Counihan says. "I worked out and ran five to six days per week, and our diet was mostly healthy."
Counihan says he followed the 80-20 rule, eating healthfully at least 80% of the time.
At 62, Counihan was below the (declining) average age for death from a pulmonary embolism (68). Counihan did have a risk factor, though: Traveling abroad. The CDC reports that long travel while seated—which Counihan was doing when he developed a blood clot on a trip to Greece, can increase a person's blood clot risk.
Eventually, the pain subsided when he settled back home, but new worries popped up. Counihan admits he doesn't like going to the doctor, but he decided to get checked out.
"I started getting shortness of breath when I ran," Counihan says. "At that point, I did go to the doctor, who ordered a treadmill stress test. Since I was in good health, I passed—that was late September. The shortness of breath became worse. I could only run a quarter mile before stopping and starting again."
Flash forward to the morning of October 14, 2022. "My Apple Watch alerted me to the elevated breathing—17 breaths per minute," Counihan recalls. He was aware, from looking at previous data, that he typically took around 14 breaths per minute.
"I called my son, who is in medical school," Counihan says. "I went to the outpatient clinic. They took an X-ray and prescribed bronchitis medications. Since the blood clots now completely covered my lungs, the X-ray showed no contrast."
The x-ray didn't show a contrast, but his Apple Watch was still on high alert, telling him his blood oxygen levels were off. "That night, at the insistence of my family, I went to the emergency room and was immediately admitted into the ICU," Counihan says.
While he may have missed early symptoms of blood clots, this action to go to the Cleveland Clinic emergency department ultimately saved him.
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An Unbelievable Experience
The whole night was surreal for Counihan. "That night, in the ER, I still didn’t believe it was serious enough to keep me," Counihan says.
However, doctors ran a blood test known as a D-dimer test. It checks for D-dimer, a protein fragment the body produces if a blood clot dissolves. A high number is a sign of a blood clot. Counihan's was high. "The upper range for my age was 600, and it came back at 12,000—that was scary," he says." I still didn’t completely understand the severity, but Cleveland Clinic did and rushed me into the ICU."
Doctors promptly started him on a Heparin drip, which prevents blood clots or stops existing ones from worsening. "They...started multiple group conferences to decide how to treat me," Counihan says. "I was more angry than scared at that point for finding myself in the ICU."
Moving Forward
Eventually, that anger would turn to gratitude when Counihan learned he had a pulmonary embolism and realized the wires, beeps and frequent monitoring were keeping him alive. The doctors and nurses also educated him on his situation and treatment options. In the end?
"I sent them a two-pound box of chocolates as a thank you afterward," Counihan says.
As for his diet and exercise? It may not have prevented him from nearly dying from cardiovascular disease, but he learned it may have helped save him. "If I had not been healthy, it would have been fatal much sooner," Counihan says.
That's only some of what he learned. "I appreciate my family more and spend more time with them," Counihan says. "A Sunday dinner with family was started five years ago but now has a new meaning. It’s a cliche, but you can’t take life for granted. Family is more important than work."
After his experience, educating and helping people mattered more to Counihan than ever. So he left his job in IT corporate sales and started Sante Strategies, LLC, which is focused on longevity and health through food. Counihan hosts the Eat Better Food Today podcast, where he's interviewed chefs, farmers, doctors, activists, and even his own vascular doctor from Cleveland Clinic, Dr Leben Tefera, MD .
"[We're] trying to inspire, educate and enable folks to live a healthier lifestyle.," he says.
Counihan has benefited, too. "Working for myself...has reduced my stress from my previous corporate IT sales roles, and I’m happier because I have a cause and a passion to help people," Counihan says.
While the risk for pulmonary embolism rises with age, Counihan doesn't want to box his audience into a demographic. He wants to reach everyone regardless of age or socioeconomic status—all are welcome in his community.
And he's putting his money where his mouth is, recently gaining approval from the Cleveland Catholic Diocese to build a Food as Medicine Center in East Cleveland, Ohio, one of the poorest communities in the United States.
"Doctors are advisors, but ultimately, it’s your health, your responsibility," Counihan says. "When you’re young, you think you’re invincible. When you turn 50, start really paying attention to your health and what your body is telling you...Do you want to be in a nursing home in your 80s and 90s or playing with your grandchildren?"
Counihan is living for the latter.
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