Smart Cardiac Arrest Tracking. There's an app for that.

In December's edition of Resuscitation, is this gem of a paper on the use of smartphones to identify trained members of the public to perform CPR on out of hospital cardiac arrest victims prior to ambulance arrival. 

Abstract

AIM:

In a two-parted study, evaluate a new concept were mobile phone technology is used to dispatch lay responders to nearby out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs).

METHODS:

Mobile phone positioning systems (MPS) can geographically locate selected mobile phone users at any given moment. A mobile phone service using MPS was developed and named Mobile Life Saver (MLS). Simulation study: 25 volunteers named mobile responders (MRs) were connected to MLS. Ambulance time intervals from 22 consecutive OHCAs in 2005 were used as controls. The MRs randomly moved in Stockholm city centre and were dispatched to simulated OHCAs (identical to controls) if they were within a 350m distance. Real life study: during 25 weeks 1271-1801 MRs trained in CPR were connected to MLS. MLS was activated at the dispatch centre in parallel with ambulance dispatch when an OHCA was suspected. The MRs were dispatched if they were within 500 m from the suspected OHCA.

RESULTS:

Simulation study: mean response time for the MRs compared to historical ambulance time intervals was reduced by 2min 20s (44%), p<0.001, (95% CI, 1min 5s - 3min 35s). The MRs reached the simulated OHCA prior to the historical control in 72% of cases. Real life study: the MLS was triggered 92 times. In 45% of all suspected and in 56% of all true OHCAs the MRs arrived prior to ambulance. CPR was performed by MRs in 17% of all true OHCAs and in 30% of all true OHCAs if MRs arrived prior to ambulance.

CONCLUSION:

Mobile phone technology can be used to identify and recruit nearby CPR-trained citizens to OHCAs for bystander CPR prior to ambulance arrival.

Resuscitation. 2011 Dec;82(12):1514-8. Epub 2011 Aug 18.