The latest Apple Watch models feature an ECG app to detect AFib, Blood Oxygen monitoring, Fall detection, Emergency SOS, sleep tracking, workout app, menstruation tracking, and others. These innovative features not only make the smartwatch an effective health and fitness monitoring device but also a lifesaving one.
Recently, the smartwatch contacted emergency services and family of a man who was hit by a speeding car and left on the road.
CEO Tim Cook said Apple Watch Fall Detection feature is designed to help in critical situations
Last month, Michael Brodkorb from Eagan, Minnesota was hit by a speeding car in his street but thanks to his Apple Watch’s Fall Detection, Brodkorb survived the accident.
According to CBS, a car sped around the corner and hit Brodkorb when he was standing in front of his driveway. The impact of the collision made him have a hard fall on the ground and injured his ribs and tailbone.
His Apple Watch immediately detected that he has taken a hard fall and automatically contacted the emergency services and texted his family. Brodkorb recalls:
“Took a few steps out into the street and the car came around the corner and just hit me. I just was shocked. I mean, just the sheer force of what it’s like to get hit by a vehicle.”
“The Apple Watch knew that I had taken a hard fall and that I wasn’t responding in a specific amount of time, so the watch called 911. I laid there, and my family had to come out and find me, that’s a difficult scenario.”
Brodkorb narrated how helpful Apple Watch was in getting him to help in an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook and to his surprise, Cook wrote back wishing him “speedy recovery” and said, “This is why they design these types of features.”
Apple Watch’s Fall Detection feature saved an unconscious woman’s life by calling 911
May 8, 2023: A Redditor @xanderpy shared the story of how his mother’s Apple Watch saved her life while on an out-of-state business trip.
According to the post, the Redditor’s mother felt pain in her chest and texted her friend to come to her room. But before the friend could reach her, the woman suffered a heart attack and collapsed on the floor. When her friend dialed 911 after finding her unconscious in the room, she found out that the emergency services were already on the way.
As her condition was very critical, Redditor was thankful to the Apple Watch for getting their mother the medical attention she needed in time.
Turns out my mom had a ruptured aorta and the situation was so bad that it took an insane set of circumstances for her to make it through, including the incredibly fast transport to the hospital.
Fast forward to a few days later when she awoke from surgery (plus a couple days since she was on feeding/breathing tubes at first) and we asked if she called 911 before she collapsed. She did not. We found out that her watch actually called 911 after the fall and not detecting movement.
Apple Watch SE or Series 4 or later features Fall Detection which can detect hard falls and contact emergency services automatically if the user fails to respond to the “I’m OK” prompt. This capability has proven to be a lifesaver for an 85-years old man’s life in Ottawa, Canada, a 48 years old British cyclist in Cleethorpes, northeast England, and a 70 years old retired management consultant.
Apple Watch Series 7 detected abnormal heart rate caused by internal bleeding
February 21, 2023: Apple Watch Series 7 was released in 2021 and a user is indebted to his smartwatch for saving his life by detecting and alerting him of an abnormally high heart rate.
Reddit user @u/digitalmofo shared that last week, he received several notifications on his Apple Watch Series 7 of a very high heart rate during his nap. Luckily, he immediately called his doctor and shared the stats with him who then called 911 for his ailing patient.
Last week, I had my iphone/watch on dnd for work, and when I went on lunch I was kind of tired so I laid down on my couch for a quick nap.
After the nap, I checked my notifications and had at least 10 that my pulse was racing. I called out the rest of the day and tried to lay around, but it didn’t stop, so I scheduled a quick video with my Dr. My Dr had me check the times and pulse rates, had me check the oxygen and then went ahead and called 911 for me.
Later he found that he was suffering from severe internal bleeding due to acutely low hemoglobin and if it were for his smartwatch, he would have bled to death while he slept.
Severe internal bleeding, I had a little over 3 g/dL hemoglobin, and my normal is about 15. EMS originally said it was a heart attack, but it was GI bleeding. They said had I not got there for a transfusion when I did, I’d not have made it.
So bless the Nurses, Drs, the people who gave blood and everybody who helped work on me, but I’d have just passed out and died without ever knowing if not for my apple watch.
Time and time again, Apple Watch users share stories of how their smartwatch aided the detection of undiagnosed illnesses or made emergency calls on their behalf after suffering life-threatening falls. All of this is a testament to the smartwatch’s usefulness beyond just a health and fitness tracker.
Apple Watch Series 7 is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes and features Always-On Retina display with thinner borders and more screen area, QWERTY keyboard, all-day 18-hour battery life, fast charging, and more. Apple Watch Series 7 price starts from $399.
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