Text messages save cardiac arrest victims

The city of Stockholm, Sweden has found a faster way to get emergency responders to cardiac arrest victims through a text message and thousands of volunteers. When a resident dials 112 (the equivalent of 911 in the United States), a text is sent to all CPR volunteers within 500 meters of the person in need of emergency treatment. Since the odds for surviving cardiac arrest drop 10% for every minute it takes first responders to arrive, the idea is to have access to treatment as quickly as possible, because it may mean the difference between life and death.

Stockholm's emergency cardiac arrest text system is saving lives. Image via Flickr.

Called SMSlivräddare, or SMSLifesaver, the program allows volunteers to arrive at the location within the first crucial minutes to perform CPR. Spokesperson and professor of cardiology, Dr. Mårten Rosenqvist told Quartz that there aren't many emergency services in Stockholm and the ones available are busy with other patient duties. He also noted that the city's traffic is usually heavy, making the average emergency response time in Stockholm eight minutes. The text system allows SMSlivräddare volunteers to reach victims before emergency responders do more than half the time.

Currently there are 9,600 Stockholm residents registered as SMSlivräddare volunteers, and there are plans to increase enrollment. According to Quartz, there are about 200,000 Swedes who have undergone CPR training that could participate.

SMSlivräddare is run by Stockholm South General Hospital and the Karolinska Institute. Medical officials in other countries, including Scotland, are considering similar programs for cardiac arrest.

Story via Quartz.