A smartwatch helped solve a two-year medical puzzle for Kiran Tiwari (name changed), a 46-year-old IT professional from Mira Road, Mumbai. Tiwari, who had been experiencing frequent fainting spells since 2022, finally discovered the root cause of his condition—not in his brain, as doctors initially suspected, but in his heart.
Mysterious Fainting Spells Begin in 2022
Tiwari first experienced fainting episodes once every six months, but by 2023, the spells became more frequent and were accompanied by convulsions. He visited several hospitals and consulted numerous specialists, undergoing repeated tests and hospitalisations. Despite being placed on three anti-convulsant medications, doctors found no abnormalities in his test results.
“One doctor even conducted a Holter monitor study, recording my heart’s electrical activity for two days. But again, everything appeared normal,” Tiwari recalled.
A Health-Conscious Lifestyle Masks the Real Problem
A diabetic for 17 years, Tiwari maintained an active lifestyle, walking between 12,000 and 15,000 steps daily. In July 2024, he purchased a high-end smartwatch to help him monitor his health more closely.
This decision turned out to be lifesaving. In November 2024, during a workout with dumbbells at home, he suffered his worst episode yet—collapsing and convulsing for over two hours. He was rushed to Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road.
Smartwatch Data Reveals the Truth
At the hospital, cardiologist Dr Ashish Mishra reviewed Tiwari’s ECG, which once again showed no abnormality. However, the breakthrough came when Tiwari’s son presented smartwatch data to Dr Mishra.
“The ECG reading from the watch showed his heart rate had dropped to 30 during the episode,” said Dr Mishra. This crucial detail pointed to a cardiac cause rather than a neurological one.
As per The Times of India, further telemetry testing confirmed the diagnosis. Tiwari experienced another convulsion the following morning, during which he had no pulse for five seconds.
Life-Saving Interventions Follow
Dr Mishra explained, “His heart rate was intermittently dropping so low that there was no blood flow to the brain, which triggered the convulsions.”
Doctors soon discovered that Tiwari had three coronary blockages. They decided to implant a pacemaker first to stabilise his heart rhythm. “Since then, I’ve felt fine,” said Tiwari. “Ten days ago, I underwent an angioplasty and had four stents placed to address the blockages.”
Smartwatches: A Technological Lifeline
Commenting on the case, Dr Ajay Mahajan, head of cardiology at KEM Hospital, Parel (not involved in the treatment), noted, “Smartwatches today are capable of recording ECGs and detecting atrial fibrillation. However, their high cost remains a barrier, especially considering that some irregular heartbeats occur in only one in a lakh cases.”
Tiwari’s case is a rare example where wearable technology played a pivotal role in diagnosing a life-threatening condition, highlighting the potential of digital health tools in modern medicine.