It’s disappointing when 57 percent of adults in the U.S. say they are trained in CPR and would help a stranger if needed, but only 11 percent report that they’ve ever been in that situation. PulsePoint Respond and PulsePoint AED are free mobile apps looking to connect good Samaritans already trained in CRP to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) situations requiring their help. (PulsePoint can be downloaded here for either iOS or Android.)
It’s important to remember that a SCA patient’s chance for survival will decrease by 10 percent with every minute that CPR isn’t administered. CPR — especially even hands-only CPR — saves lives, and this new app hopes to help a victim’s chances in case they experience SCA in a public place. Currently, the app is being used in more than 900 cities and 22 U.S. states. The PulsePoint Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, is working with other countries to utilize the app.
The app has multiple uses: connecting CPR-trained citizens with SCA events, providing maps with the exact location of the nearest publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillators (AED), and allowing people to listen in on live emergency radio traffic and be notified of incidents by type.
How it works:
- The app is activated for CPR-trained bystanders when someone calls 9-1-1 and local EMS are dispatched.
- These bystanders, who have downloaded the app, are alerted if they are a quarter of a mile near the SCA victim.
- The bystanders arrive on scene to administer CPR until EMTs arrive.
- Bystanders can locate Automated External Defibrillators if needed.
The app hopes to decrease the amount of time between a collapse and a defibrillator or a collapse and CPR, improving SCA survival rates ultimately. The app is only available in communities that have implemented its use by local fire and EMS providers. The app was originally released in April 2010 on iOS.
