Clay County using smartphone app to help those suffering from sudden cardiac arrest

Clay County is using a smartphone app to help those suffering from sudden cardiac arrest. It’s called PulsePoint.

“We are hoping it is going to save lives,” said Clay County Fire Rescue Chief David Kuykendell.

During an emergency, the app will alert people nearby if someone needs CPR, Kuykendell said.

“What we do is you download it, and once you get signed up to receive 911 emergencies, it will actually direct you to a call,” explained Kuykendell. “So let’s say there is a cardiac arrest in your immediate area like a quarter-mile from you. Your phone would go off. It would notify you there is one there and direct you where to go.”

The goal is to get a patient the help they need as quickly as possible.

“If we can get more people to be proactive and want to help their fellow man, if you would say, and get out there, start doing chest compressions, that will save the life or actually postpone death until we get there and hopefully use more interventions that can help the outcome,” said Kuykendell.

Kuykendell said performing hands-only CPR right away can be life-saving.

“Usually, within your body, you have about six to eight minutes of oxygen stored up after a cardiac arrest event,” explained Kuykendell. “When this happens, if you can just keep that chest pumping, keep that heart pumping, it allows oxygen to flow through the body and what that does is it profuse the brain, the heart, the vital organs and that will help us to hopefully bring somebody back from a cardiac arrest event.”

According to Kuykendell, the app will also show where automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are located. The county said people performing CPR should be trained. There are several courses and training classes available in Northeast Florida.