Polodoc: Better Safe Than Sorry

Dr.med. Andreas Krüger is a Swiss board orthopaedic and trauma surgeon in Zurich, who specialises in knee and shoulder surgery. Andi is a second generation of tournament doctors for equine sports, known as Polodoc since 2013 and affiliated with Polo Park Zurich

Better Safe Than Sorry

How high tech can push safety

Device such as the Apple Watch can help improve player safety

Height and speed are a perfect combination for fun when everything runs well. However, with an unintended change of direction comes a bad end of the story - and it’s not a fun part. New wearable high-tech sensors can very precisely measure a lot of variables regarding body function but also how fast and in which direction we move. If a certain critical change of these thresholds happens then immediate detection is possible and can be detected and displayed by technical devices. Due to the modern and widespread telecommunication network, these technical devices can forward this critical information when the in-built algorithms calculate a possible dangerous situation and no adequate answer of the possibly injured person was accomplished. Many of these devices are available on the market already but the group of users is still small. With the increasing interest of consumers in wearables, the big tech players like Apple and Samsung have started to add and improve sensors for health programs in their devices.

Emergency Call Pit Falls

Emergency calls are one of the first moves to make in case of accidents in order to access adequate help in a reasonable time to control the situation and minimise the risk of additional harm due to delay of medical aid. Many accidents in equine sports are minor but geographical factors can prolong the interval until rescue. These intervals can be long, with many of the sports centres or stables located far away from the city centres. Secondly, it can be challenging to find the exact location of the injured person in these remote areas. The quality of information in the distress call reaching first help providers is mostly poor due to lack of orientation or exact knowledge of the current position. The transfer of basic information such as personal identification details or relevant preconditions can be demanding and hard to carry out after injury or during painful moments.

Necessary Sensor

The Apple Watch offers advanced activity and communication features as well as revolutionary health features, including a new accelerometer and gyro sensor capable of detecting severe falls of the Apple Watch wearer and an electric heart rate sensor that works with the new EKG App to record an electrocardiogram (EKG), which has

been awarded a De Novo classification by the FDA. With the cellular options, these thresholds can be directly transferred to the help provider.

Fall Detection

Apple Watch Series 5 can detect that you have fallen. When an incident like this occurs, a hard fall alert is delivered, and you can easily initiate a call to emergency services or dismiss the alert. If you’re unresponsive after 60 seconds, the emergency call will be placed automatically. Your emergency contacts will then be notified and sent your location.

If the Apple Watch detects that you are moving, it waits for you to respond to the alert and won’t automatically call emergency services. If your watch detects that you have been immobile for about a minute, it will make the call automatically.

After the call ends, your watch sends a message to your emergency contacts with your location letting them know that your watch detected a hard fall and dialled emergency services. Your watch gets your emergency contacts from your medical ID.

Falls are automatically recorded in the Health app, unless you reply that you didn’t fall when your Apple Watch asks. Fall history can be monitored in the Health app on the iPhone, in the Health Data.

Expert Opinion Prof Dr.med. Aris Exadactylos

Head of Emergency Department Inselspital University Bern Switzerland

Equine sport injuries mostly require special resources and are time demanding due to the allocated point of initial care. In critical cases any time delay should be avoided because in shock treatment the time factor is directly linked to the outcome. After precise identification of the patient at his location, any provided information of the individual (preconditions, allergies, blood group, vaccination) can be helpful to improve secondary preparations for definitive care. Direct personal communication between health care provider or first responder and the patient can be beneficial.

Automated fall detection for non-responding persons can immensely aid the rescue process. If a device can also provide geo data and a built-in emergency pass in combination with stand-alone cellular based communication, advances can be immense.

Photography courtesy of Polodoc Apple Watch Series 5 connects to emergency services, even if you are not near your phone are designed to help you prioritize your goal. Apple Watch Series 5 is capable of generating an ECG Apps can help you to maintian a healthy lifestyle

International Emergency Calling

You can complete a call to emergency services when traveling abroad. Just press and hold the side button on Apple Watch Series 5 with cellular and you’ll be connected with the help you need. It even works if you are nowhere near your iPhone.

Relevant information recording

With the possibilty to create an emergency Medical ID card, first responders can access your critical medical information from the Lock screen. Chances are your data goes with you nearly everywhere you go.

ECG On Your Wrist. Anytime, Anywhere

With the ECG app, Apple Watch Series 5 is capable of generating an ECG similar momentous achievement for a wearable device that can provide critical data for doctors or the first responder. Electrodes built into the Digital Crown and the backcrystal work together with the ECG app to read your heart’s electrical signals. Simply touch the Digital Crown to generate an ECG waveform in just 30 seconds. The ECG app can indicate whether your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation — a serious form of irregular heart rhythm — or sinus rhythm, which means your heart is beating in a normal pattern.

Additonal Health Add-Ons

Apps can play an important role in reminding you to keep up with your healthy routines. Whether you want to better manage a condition like diabetes, improve your water intake (highly important in hot areas), reduce stress, or make healthier food choices, apps to a single-lead electrocardiogram. It’s a

With the App Store on the watch, these health apps can be found easily and directly downloaded.

For more information on Polodoc contact Andreas Krüger at drmedkrueger@gmail.com or www.polodoc.ch