Pulse Point
About PulsePoint
Fifty-seven percent of U.S. adults say they’ve had CPR training and most would be willing to use CPR or an AED to help save a stranger’s life. Now, thanks to a unique partnership with UPMC’s Department of Emergency Medicine, and funding from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, citizens can have an opportunity to put that training to work.
CPR-trained citizens may download the PulsePoint app and indicate that they are trained in CPR and willing to assist in case of an emergency. With data from the 911 Center, users are then alerted when someone nearby is having a cardiac emergency and may require CPR. The app also provides information on where the nearest AED can be found.
Sudden cardiac arrest incidents are the leading cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 1,000 people a day. Permanent brain damage or death can occur only eight minutes after sudden cardiac arrest. After 10 minutes, there is little chance for survival. The intervention of a bystander, while waiting for EMS professionals, can increase an individual’s chance for survival by 9%, a figure which increases to 38% with the use of an AED. Administering CPR while awaiting EMS response can return blood flow to the brain and heart, and can sustain life until paramedics arrive.
You can download the free app in either the Apple App Store or on Google Play by simply searching for "PulsePoint." Visit the PulsePoint website for more information on how to download and set the app.
About Heart Map
Heart Map is a part of the Resuscitation Logistics and Informatics Venture (ReLive) initiative of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Department of Emergency Medicine. The effort is aimed at providing a comprehensive register of public AED devices that will be used to populate the PulsePoint application. Registered devices are automatically integrated into the app and provided to the 911 Center. To learn more about the effort, visit the Heart Map website or the Pitt ReLIVe website.
For More Information
Visit PulsePoint Resources.
For Emergency Responders
On July 7, we announced a pilot program utilizing PulsePoint for the City of Pittsburgh. The news release(PDF, 232KB), one-page fact sheet(PDF, 249KB) and PowerPoint presentation(PDF, 535KB) provided at the press conference are all provided hereto for your use and reference.
This app, and the shared data, will be available to all EMS agencies in the county. Our leadership will begin reaching out in the near future to make those connections through the county’s EMS Council, the Local Emergency Planning Council (LEPC) and other organizations.
Allegheny County Emergency Services will also be working with volunteer and paid fire agencies throughout the county to share information on the app and resources available. Additionally, the department will be assisting in reaching out to all public safety entities within Allegheny County (police, fire, EMS, hospital staff, colleges and universities) to share the use and benefits of PulsePoint. All outreach will begin in the next few months.
In the meantime, if you’re interested in finding out how your community can participate, send a message and someone will be in touch.
