Cardiovascular Journal of Africa: Vol 29 No 2 (March/April 2018)

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CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 29, No 2, March/April 2018 92 AFRICA
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Smartphone app directs first responders to cardiac arrest three minutes before ambulance
A novel smartphone application (app) has been developed
that can direct first responders to cardiac arrest victims more
than three minutes before the emergency services arrive. Each
minute increases the chance of survival by 10%.
The EHRA First Responder app was created by the
European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), a registered
branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). It was
released during EHRA EUROPACE – CARDIOSTIM 2017.
‘Sudden cardiac arrest is lethal within minutes if left
untreated,’ said EHRA spokesperson Dr Christian Elsner.
‘In Europe, the emergency services arrive around nine
minutes after a cardiac arrest. Every minute earlier raises the
probability of survival by 10% and reduces the risk of brain
injury, which starts four minutes after cardiac arrest.’
If cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is initiated by a
member of the public, this will in essence shorten the time
between cardiac arrest and the urgently needed resuscitation
measures. However, bystander resuscitation occurs in just
of 30–60% of patients who have a cardiac arrest outside
hospital.
The EHRA First Responder app was developed to
increase the rate of bystander resuscitation and reduce the
time between cardiac arrest and resuscitation. Based on GPS
tracking technology, the app is used by existing emergency
services (reached in many countries by dialling 112) to locate
trained ‘app rescuers’ and then automatically direct them to
the scene of cardiac arrest. The target is for an app rescuer to
arrive three to four minutes after the cardiac arrest.
In a typical scenario, after the cardiac arrest, a bystander
calls the emergency services. The operator dispatches an
emergency crew and simultaneously locates nearby app
rescuers. The nearest app rescuers are notified on their
smartphones and the quickest responder is given directions,
via the app, to the patient and then performs CPR. Other
app rescuers can then additionally bring a nearby automated
external defibrillator (AED).
The app was tested in Lübeck, Germany, where around
600 app rescuers were recruited. In 36% of cardiac arrests,
an app rescuer arrived more than three minutes before the
emergency services. App rescuers were recruited through
a local media campaign and 70% were already medically
trained. The 30% without medical training took a basic life-
support course and committed to retaking it every two years.
‘Recruitment of the app rescuers was no problem at
all because people want to help,’ said Dr Elsner. Project
organisers are now asking emergency dispatch units (fire
departments and hospitals) across Germany to connect
to the app so that they have free access to the fleet of app
rescuers.
‘The software has a standard interface and can be easily
connected to most emergency alert systems in Europe in
just a few steps,’ said Dr Elsner. ‘We provide insurance for
app users and we have a guarantee of data security from
the German Department for Data Security in Schleswig-
Holstein.’
Dr Elsner concluded: ‘Ultimately we will roll the app out
across Europe. We hope to raise bystander resuscitation rates
to 70–90% and for cardiac arrest patients to be resuscitated
in three to four minutes on average.’
For more information, visit:
Source: European Society of Cardiology Press Office