CBS News reports how the Apple Watch helped save the life of a Delaware student after she passed out from carbon monoxide poisoning. Natalie Nasatka credits the Apple Watch’s Emergency SOS feature.
Nasatka says that she was in her apartment when she started feeling “extremely exhausted” and she also noticed that her vision was getting blurry. She eventually lost consciousness and passed out.
Luckily, before she passed out, she was able to activate the Emergency SOS feature on her Apple Watch to call 911. The fire department arrived in the nick of time and revived Nasatka in an ambulance with oxygen. Tests by the fire department revealed that there were extremely high levels of carbon monoxide in her apartment.
“The carbon monoxide was confirmed because the fire department monitor read 80 parts per million in the apartment, which is extremely high,” she said. She thinks the gas leak came from a faulty heater, which is one of the leading causes for carbon monoxide poisoning in the winter.
Carbon monoxide is a gas that has no color, odor, or taste, making it a silent killer that claims more than 400 people a year, while sending 50,000 Americans to the emergency room. Early warning signs include dizziness, confusion, and vomiting.
“It is a lack of oxygen that affects the body. There are certain things that become irreversible, the heart can be damaged. Once the brain has been without oxygen for too long, there can be irreversible symptoms,” Dr. Lynn Farrugia, an emergency department physician, said.
Nasatka acknowledges a carbon monoxide detector would have alerted her to the problem before carbon monoxide levels reached a deadly level.
Safety experts say all homes should have carbon monoxide detectors installed. Some states actually require them by law.
For more information on how to buy and install carbon monoxide detectors, visit the CDC website.
How to use Emergency SOS on your Apple Watch
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Press and hold your watch’s side button (the button below the Digital Crown) until the Emergency Call slider appears.
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Drag the Emergency Call slider to start the call immediately. Or you can keep holding the side button; after a countdown, your watch calls emergency services automatically.
When the call ends, your Apple Watch sends your emergency contacts a text message with your current location, unless you choose to cancel. For some time after you enter SOS mode, your emergency contacts will continue to receive updates when your location changes.
Emergency SOS requires a cellular connection or Wi-Fi calling with an Internet connection from your Apple Watch or from a nearby iPhone.
