PulsePoint: Accessing the Closest Help to Treat Cardiac Arrests

By James Careless, All Things FirstNet

Every day in the United States, about 1,000 people suffer cardiac arrests. Every minute that passes between a cardiac arrest and the administration of aid decreases their chance of survival by 10%. Clearly, the sooner that medical assistance arrives, the better.

Speeding the arrival of help is the goal of the PulsePoint Foundation (PulsePoint), a 501(c)(3) public nonprofit organization. Mindful that even the fastest-dispatched EMS and fire agencies can take precious minutes to arrive, PulsePoint recruits CPR-trained volunteers to step in when they are closer to the scene. This is possible due to these volunteers running the free PulsePoint Respond app on their smartphones (available in Android and Apple iOS), and living in jurisdictions whose local 911 centers have registered to forward cardiac-related calls to PulsePoint as the calls come in.

Filed Under: News, Highlights | Tagged With: All Things FirstNet, FirstNet, Western Fire Chiefs Association, WFCA, PulsePoint Respond, David Pendergrass, Michael Garrison, James Careless, Steve Lopez, Tom Jenkins, International Association of Fire Chiefs, IAFC, cardiac arrest, CPR, AED, AED Registry

January 5, 2023

Op-Ed: What Communities Can Learn About Cardiac Response from Damar Hamlin Incident

By Dr. Michael Sayre, MD, Medical Director for the Seattle Fire Department and PulsePoint and Professor of Emergency Medicine at University of Washington

The unsettling collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a Monday Night Football game brought sudden cardiac arrest to the attention of millions of Americans. Surviving sudden cardiac arrest relies on immediate medical attention, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation and AED (automated external defibrillator) use. Mr. Hamlin was fortunate in that he was quickly surrounded by medical professionals armed with an emergency action plan, and experienced paramedics joined them within minutes. Now, even with the best, most rapid care, Americans are learning that recovery from cardiac arrest takes time.

Filed Under: Event, Highlights, News | Tagged With: Damar Hamlin, AED, CPR, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Op-Ed, Michael Sayre, University of Washington, PulsePoint Respond, PulsePoint AED, AED Registry, Bystander Engagement, 911 dispatchers

July 27, 2021

Utilizing a Full-Suite PulsePoint Integration to Address Out-of-Hospital Sudden Cardiac Arrests in Alaska’s Fairbanks North Star Borough

CASE STUDY / APRIL 2021

Alaska’s Fairbanks North Star Borough sought to address the rural community challenges of low bystander engagement and slower response times in out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest response. As part of a comprehensive strategy that included participation in the C.A.R.E.S. Registry and Resuscitation Academy, bystander CPR training, CPR and AED awareness programs, and strategic AED placement, Fairbanks launched PulsePoint May 2019.

Filed Under: Case Study, Highlights | Tagged With: Fairbanks, North Star Borough, Alaska, Rural, AED Registry, AED Management, AED Program, AED Registration, AED, Bystander Engagement, CARES, CARES Registry, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, cardiac arrest, Response Time, Resuscitation Academy, CPR, CPR Training, AED Awareness, Strategic AED Placement, Verified Responder, Cardiac Arrest Survival Rate, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Douglas Schrage, EMS Leadership, Case Study, Best Practice, Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival, Fairbanks Emergency Communication Center, FECC, PSAP AED Registry, PSAP, PulsePoint Respond, Verified Responder Pro, Bleeding Control Kit, Naloxone, Epinephrine, PulsePoint AED, AED Consumable, Western Fire Chiefs Association, WFCA, Interior Fire Chiefs Association, Geoff Coon, Rotary Club of Fairbanks, Foundation Health Partners, CAD, American Red Cross, American Heart Association

June 10, 2020

Priority Dispatch and PulsePoint Partner to Help 911 Dispatchers Guide Callers to Closest Lifesaving AED

June 23 Webinar to Highlight Best Practices in Dispatching Citizen Response to Sudden Cardiac Arrest

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—Emergency medical dispatchers across North America can now quickly direct 911 callers during time-critical cardiac emergencies to the closest automated external defibrillator (AED), thanks to the implementation of an AED geolocation plan by Priority Dispatch and the PulsePoint Foundation. The partnership between Priority Dispatch and PulsePoint allows 911 dispatchers to inform callers of the location of AEDs while using existing medical dispatch protocols within Priority Dispatch’s ProQA® software, with no changes to workflow—saving critical time during life-threatening…