Daniel M. Lindberg, MD reviewing Pijls RWM et al. Resuscitation 2016 Jun 17.

Survival nearly doubled in a Dutch province that implemented a novel text messaging system to alert nearby trained volunteers.

Survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is dismally low and depends on early cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation. These authors report the effect of a novel text messaging system to alert trained volunteers when a cardiac arrest is occurring near them.

The Dutch province of Limburg implemented a system of text messaging for 61,000 trained volunteers, and placed automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in residential areas. When emergency medical services (EMS) dispatchers received a call for suspected cardiac arrest, they activated the text messaging system simultaneously with the usual EMS response. Three volunteers within 1 km of the patient (based on zip codes) received texts directing them to the location and instructing them to begin basic life support or get the nearest AED.

From 2012 to 2014, the text messaging system was activated in 422 cases, and at least one volunteer arrived on the scene in 291 cases (69%). Survival to hospital discharge was significantly higher in cases where volunteers arrived than in those with no volunteer responders (27% vs. 16%). In analysis adjusted for potential confounders, the odds ratio for survival was 2.82. More than 90% of survivors were discharged home.

CITATION(S):

Pijls RWM et al. A text message alert system for trained volunteers improves out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival. Resuscitation 2016 Jun 17; [e-pub].

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