The PulsePoint Foundation and CTIA Wireless Foundation Bring Lifesaving Technology to
 Washington D.C. via 9-1-1 Integrated Mobile App

The PulsePoint Respond app empowers CPR-trained citizens and off-duty professionals to provide critical assistance to cardiac arrest victims

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 26, 2017 - Today, the PulsePoint Foundation, with support from CTIA Wireless Foundation, launched life-saving mobile technology to the nation’s capital via the PulsePoint Respond app. Making the announcement, Mayor Muriel Bowser was joined by Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department Chief Gregory Dean, Director of Unified Communications Karima Holmes, and CTIA Wireless Foundation Secretary Jamie Hastings. The event highlighted the benefits of PulsePoint, a smartphone app that alerts CPR-trained citizens to cardiac events in their vicinity so they may administer aid.

PulsePoint also provides users with an active display of all AEDs in the District. Citizens can use the separate PulsePoint AED app to report and update AED locations so that emergency responders, including nearby citizens trained in CPR and off-duty professionals such as firefighters, police officers and nurses can find an AED close to them when a cardiac emergency occurs.

“By directly alerting those who are qualified and nearby, maybe in the business next door or on the floor above, PulsePoint is able to put the right people in the right place at the right time,” said Richard Price, President of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation.

“Wireless saves lives each and every day,” said Hastings. “Washington, D.C. is home for CTIA Wireless Foundation, and it is truly special to be able to help bring the life-saving technology of PulsePoint to our nation’s capital.”

Early application of bystander CPR and rapid defibrillation from an AED have proven to be crucial in improving a person’s chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). PulsePoint is not limited to emergency responders or those with formal CPR certification. It can be used by anyone who has been trained in CPR.

The latest AHA guidelines, published in Circulation, state that such community programs could increase bystander CPR to the roughly 326,000 cardiac arrests that happen outside the hospital each year. Currently, only about one-third of SCA victims receive bystander CPR with national survival rates less than 8 percent. However, effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after SCA, can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival.

The free PulsePoint app is available for iPhone and Android and can be downloaded from the iTunes Store and Google Play.

Contacts

Shannon Smith
PulsePoint Foundation
773.339.7513
shannon@pulsepoint.org

Jilane Rodgers Petrie
CTIA Wireless Foundation
202.736.3245
jrpetrie@ctia.org

About the PulsePoint Foundation

PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the use of location-aware mobile devices, PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens, empowering them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Deployment of the PulsePoint app can significantly strengthen the “chain of survival” by improving bystander response to cardiac arrest victims and increasing the chance that lifesaving steps will be taken prior to the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS). PulsePoint is built and maintained by volunteer engineers at Workday and distributed by our marketing and implementation partner Physio-Control, Inc. CTIA Wireless Foundation is a key sponsor and advocate of PulsePoint, providing industry and financial support. Learn more at pulsepoint.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter. The free app is available for download on iTunes and Google Play.

About CTIA Wireless Foundation

CTIA Wireless Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to developing and supporting initiatives that use wireless technology to enhance American communities. Its innovative programs leverage mobile technology to provide consumer benefits in two key areas: health and safety. The Foundation was formed by CTIA® member companies in 1991. Learn more at www.wirelessfoundation.org.

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Although a heart attack can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the two are not the same. SCA is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly, whereas a heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, but the heart continues to beat. Each year, more than 326,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur, making it the leading cause of death in the United States. Survival rates nationally for SCA are less than eight percent, but delivery of CPR can sustain life until paramedics arrive by maintaining vital blood flow to the heart and brain. However, only about a third of SCA victims receive bystander CPR. Without CPR, brain damage or death can occur in minutes. The average EMS response time is nine minutes, even in urban settings; after 10 minutes there is little chance of successful resuscitation. The American Heart Association estimates that effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after SCA, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

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Source: CTIA Press Release