HCA TriStar Division
March 19, 2018

Parkridge Health System has partnered with CHI Memorial and the Hamilton County Emergency Communications District to bring PulsePoint, a potentially lifesaving app, to Hamilton County.

The free app alerts registered users who are trained in hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when someone in a nearby space suffers sudden cardiac arrest. Dispatchers at the 911 Center send an alert through the app when they dispatch first responders. The app also locates the nearest automated external defibrillator (AED).

Cardiac arrest happens when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating, and death can happen within minutes. However, performing CPR and using an AED to shock the heart can restore normal heart rhythm and prevent negative outcomes.

The PulsePoint app will strengthen and expand the coordinated, rapid response initiated when emergency services are alerted to someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.

"Every second counts when we're dealing with cardiac arrest. Each minute without CPR decreases the chance of survival," said Barry Bell, director of cardiovascular services, Parkridge Health System. "We encourage everyone who is CPR certified to be a part of this program."

The PulsePoint app leverages CPR-trained members of the community to raise the number of cases in which victims receive bystander CPR before paramedics arrive on the scene - only 46 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims received bystander CPR in 2016, according to the latest data available from the American Heart Association. Even fewer receive a potentially lifesaving therapeutic shock from an AED.

Make a difference in your community and register as a citizen responder today. The PulsePoint Respond app is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. After installing the app, select "Hamilton County Emergency Communications District."

For more information, visit PulsePoint.org.