Duke CPR App, a life-saving guide for treating sudden cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest could be defined as the abrupt loss of heart function, and it's often misunderstood as a massive heart attack. It is a treatable condition that could happen with or without previously diagnosed heart disease, and that doesn't necessarily lead to sudden death. However, without immediate intervention, the SCA victim almost always dies. According to some estimates, every minute that passes without intervention reduces chances of survival by 5-10%.

Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. This condition is the leading cause of death in the U.S., affecting more people than breast, prostate and colorectal cancer, or AIDS, traffic accidents and gunshot wounds combined. Only 11% SCA victims survive, but that percent could be 38% or more.

It's you who can make the difference between life and death for someone who suffers sudden cardiac arrest in front of you, by knowing what to do and doing it quickly. SCA victims need immediate help. Waiting for emergency personnel to arrive at the scene reduces the chances for survival. The most common reason why SCA victims don't survive is bystanders' hesitation to call 911  or to start CPR right away. If you want to save a life, you must act quickly and effectively.

First, you need to learn how to recognize sudden cardiac arrest symptoms. SCA victims suddenly lose consciousness, normal breathing stops, and there are no signs of life.

First thing you should do is to call 911, or even better if there's someone else nearby, ask them to call for professional help, so you can start treatment. 

Next thing you should do is to begin with cardiopulmonary rescucitation, better known as CPR. Don't worry if you don't know what to do. Most people are not trained in CPR. If there's a crowd and someone knows how to perform CPR, they will probably say it and offer to help. But if there's no one, don't wait. Be the first to help.

You should perform compression-only (hands-only) CPR, which is a technique that involves chest compressions without artificial ventilation. It is recommended for the untrained rescuers, because it is easier to perform and it has a higher success rate than standard CPR (with giving breath).

Basically, you should push down hard and fast in center of chest 2 inches deep, 100 beats per minute. Do this continuously until professional help arrives. You can think about the Bee Gees song "Stayin' Alive" while performing CPR. According to the American Heart Association, the beat of this song provides an ideal rhythm in terms of beats per minute to use for compression-only CPR.
Also, we all carry our smartphones with us all the time. There's plenty of useful apps that can be installed, including those that could educate us about CPR techniques. 

One of those apps is the Duke CPR app, which is the result of a partnership between the Duke Heart Center and the Women's Health Initiative. The goal of this app is to help educate people about compression-only CPR.

The app's design is simple, offering basic options. Upon starting the app, you'll see three options: Crisis Mode, CPR Training Mode, and Learn More.

Tapping on Crisis Mode, leads users to detailed step-by-step instructions, which are both illustrated and spoken. First step is to check if the victim is unresponsive. Step 2 includes a quick dial button to call 911. Remaining steps explain the rest of the procedure, from placing the victim on their back to how to perform a CPR.

CPR Training Mode leads users through series of videos, featuring Duke athletes and staff, which offer general information about CPR, why it is important, as well as step-by-step guidance on how to perform CPR. All videos are professionally made as a combination of animations and live demonstrations. Videos go full screen when you rotate your phone in landscape mode.

Learn More option offers several reference links, leading to sites such as the American Heart Association, the Duke Heart Center, HeartRescue Project, North Carolina’s Good Samaritan law, PatientsLikeMe and WomensHeart. Here you can also reach creators of the app via support email to get more info about the app or to send feedback.

We wouldn't have much to add or to suggest, except the additional information about pediatric and infant CPR steps, which differ from procedure for adult patients and which would be very useful.

Benefit: This app is beneficial to anyone who is not trained in CPR, as an important first response to sudden cardiac arrest victims.