The Apple Watch is more than just a fitness tool – its built-in health-and-safety features can pick up undiagnosed medical conditions and even recognise when you’ve had a fall. These potentially lifesaving features are not to be sniffed at – just ask Dan Pfau, whose Apple Watch rescued him from mortal danger twice.
About two years ago, Pfau was cycling in Martha’s Vineyard when he was knocked off balance and fell to the floor. His Apple Watch identified that he’d had a fall and – worse – Pfau was unresponsive. “The next thing I remember was waking up in the ambulance,” he recalls.
Pfau’s Apple Watch noticed he wasn’t moving and called emergency services. He was then transported to hospital where doctors identified a small brain hemorrhage (which subsequently healed on its own).
Then more recently, the 70-year-old fainted at home in July. “I have a history of fainting,” Pfau told the Boston Globe. “I hit my head on the hardwood floor and I started bleeding significantly.”
Although Pfau initially dismissed the fall detection notification, after realizing he needed help he used his Apple Watch to dictate a message to his wife. Pfau was airlifted to Massachusetts General and given nine stitches for a wound on his forehead.
To top the experience off, doctors also discovered a fractured vertebrate.
“I have nicer-looking regular watches,” Pfau said of the Apple Watch, but added: “it would be foolish not to wear it.”
Apple is expected to release the seventh-generation Apple Watch this year, with rumors suggesting the company will add even more health-tracking features to the wearable device.