PulsePoint links cardiac arrest incidents to nearby help
NORRISTOWN » As February is American Heart Month, the highlighting of an app to save people in cardiac arrest was appropriately timed for a recent Montgomery County Commissioners meeting.
The Montgomery County Department of Public Safety is inviting county residents to join in the use of a PulsePoint app to save lives. The app is intended to alert people to the nearby location of someone in distress so that common lifesaving procedures can be started before medical personnel arrive.
“We’re looking to get somebody who can get there almost immediately to start hands-only CPR and provide that care until more trained help arrives,” said Todd Stieritz, public affairs coordinator for the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety.
Stieritz highlighted the app during the Feb. 6 commissioners meeting. He said officials were inspired three years ago to launch the app locally after learning about it from the county’s automated external defibrillator (AED) vendor.
The PulsePoint app informs nearby bystanders about a cardiac arrest situation in hopes of getting immediate help for the victim.
“I think any of us would hope that if it was our loved one that some kind bystander would step up and help,” said Commissioners Chair Valerie Arkoosh during the Feb. 6 meeting.
Stieritz said PulsePoint had 6,371 subscribers as of Feb. 1. He added that users are able to access a list of a variety of emergency incidents across the county including a fire, medical issue or traffic crash.
So how does it work? The PulsePoint app has two separate functioning applications: PulsePoint Respond and PulsePoint AED. Both are available for Apple and Android smartphones.
Stieritz said PulsePoint Respond is associated with the county’s 911 dispatch system. When a cardiac arrest event in a public place is reported to 911, the dispatcher enters a code that the app system distributes as a notification to subscribers within a quartermile of the incident.
A map then appears on the user’s phone showing their location, the location of the person in cardiac arrest and possibly the closest available AED, Stieritz said in an interview.
“Every second that person’s in cardiac arrest and their heart’s not delivering an oxygen supply to their vital organs, every second that that’s not happening is decreasing their chances for survival,” Stieritz said.
Stieritz added the app is targeted for those with CPR training, but anyone is able to download the app.
The app includes a function that teaches someone about “hands-only CPR,” and 911 dispatchers also can instruct callers on how to perform the necessary measures, he said.
“It’s better for someone to do something rather than everyone just stands around watching,” he said.
The other function, PulsePoint AED, allows people to report locations of AEDs in the community. Subscribers can input a photo and other information into the app about a particular location of an AED.
The submissions are verified by county public safety officials and other departments.
Stieritz said most devices can be found at a number of public places including shopping malls, community centers and county facilities.
Knowing the location of a nearby AED can save the life of a person in cardiac arrest. The sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, medical device analyzes the heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, delivers an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm. “In any situation where CPR is in progress that somebody goes and gets an AED,” the survival rate increases “which is why it’s such an essential part of the PulsePoint app system,” Stieritz said.
Stieritz said the commissioners recently authorized funds for 150 new AEDs to be installed in county buildings, making more lifesaving options available for a PulsePoint user in an emergency situation.
“It’s a great way to get involved in your community and to potentially help save a life,” Stieritz said.