About our project
This project is a finalist in the American Heart Association Challenge. To see the rest of the finalists, please visit MedStartr.com/Heart
The Problem we Solve
Education of CPR techniques has been a subjective process since instruction began, it’s time to add some objective validation for the sake of patients, students and instructors. Currently an instructor visually critiques CPR students for their ability to preform CPR this is a subjective process, there needs to be objective metrics to qualify those certified in CPR. As much as 70% of those certified for CPR can not perform the skills needed for CPR (from the AHA CPR Fact Sheet.)
If you are giving CPR, this is what it looks like. Note the display at the top right that keeps track and helps you keep time
In order to optimize chances of survival in sudden cardiac arrest victims, high quality CPR delivery is needed. Save a Life provides an opportunity to investigate using new technologies to optimize care. We help instructors verify CPR competency via Google Glass.
We also built in useful features like help finding your closest AED and calling for help, these features are turned off by default but are part of the customization available in our partner programs. Here is our symbol for AEDs:
How We Solve It:
We Quality Assure(QA) and add objectivity to CPR training by utilizing Glass’s sensors. Save a Life provides objective metrics on compression rate, rhythm and depth. We help CPR instructors teach students through an interactive Glass program that guides and tracks proper technique based on visual and auditory prompts.
How Save a Life Works:
Save a Life works by accessing the wearable sensors (gyroscope/accelerometer) in Google Glass to help students achieve the correct compression rate, rhythm and depth via audio and visual feedback in realtime. Through a web interface the CPR instructor and student can view the CPR skill performance metrics and adjust technique based on observed metrics.
Here is how it works:
1. Via the speaker the student is provided with an audio tune at 100 BPM (Beats Per Minute) to help them keep time as they provide compressions.
2. The display shows the current rate at which the user is providing compressions in a numeric display.
3. The numeric display has a color indicator surrounding it to give the user a peripheral indication of where there current rate, rhythm and depth are: green for good and red for bad.
4. The color indicator is surrounded by a time meter that shows where they are in the two minute cycle along with a clock counter on the right of the display for an exact point in the cycle.
Save a Life is like having a co-pilot to help you navigate CPR and Training is just the beginning. Once installed, it is always there for you just in case you need it when the time comes.
Why is CPR Training and Quality Assurance So Important?
Here are a few quotes from this excellent article on the topic:
“When rescuers compress at a depth of less than 38 mm, survival-to-discharge rates after out-of-hospital arrest are reduced by 30%”
“Similarly, when rescuers compress too slowly, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after in-hospital cardiac arrest falls from 72% to 42%.”
_“As a consequence, if chest compressions are too shallow, too slow, or too fast, with leaning and with a lot of interruptions resulting in long pauses, the blood flow to the victim’s brain and heart will be markedly reduced. Since a lot of patients with initial ventricular fibrillation (VF) require repetitive shocks, and more than 60-80% of cardiac arrest patients today present with a non-shockable rhythm, long periods of CPR are frequently required in a resuscitation attempt. Thus, the end result is dependent on the quality of CPR during prolonged resuscitation. Moreover, in the hospital setting, survival is dependent on the time and location of the arrest. Again, human factors play a decisive role in the destiny of cardiac arrest victims; therefore, we should be able to solve this, or at least strive to improve. ..we should be able to solve this, or at least strive to improve!”
We could not agree more and now the means to improve CPR quality is available to all.
Progress to Date
We are in version 3 of the software after working extensively with our fellow CPR Trainers, Cardiologists and eventually with several classes of students. Partnering with an ER training program and the Health Simulator Lab at Indiana University we have refined the software to get it to it’s present ready state. We are pleased to announce that we have pilot projects at two hospital’s in the West Michigan area in the coming months as well. The ER program instructors and beta testing students have both been extremely pleased with the system. The student tell us they have learned faster and gained confidence thanks to the Save a Life System too.
Save a Life (Formerly called CPR Glass) has gone through multiple algorithm refinements to accurately track compression depth, rate and rhythm. CPR Glass was featured by Google in the Computer History Museum as an innovative tool on Google Glass, there have been multiple articles and TV interviews done on CPR Glass including Forbes online. Biomedical personnel at NASA’s Johnson’s Space Command have also tested CPR Glass in low earth orbit for evaluation of sensor performance in low gravity environments such as the ISS.
Another display mode in the software gives a more global view of the situation. On the left is tracking data that you how you are doing. On the right are other activities that are going on.
Save a Life also Helps you locate and Tag the locations of AED (Automatic Electronic Defibrillation devices)
FDA Status
This solution is not subject to FDA approval as the Save a Life platform is for “informational use only” at this point.
Become a partner with us and help us gather the quantitative data needed to show a change in the startling statistic of ineffective CPR performance by certified BLS providers, let’s work together and Save a Life!
How your project will help reduce cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20% by 2020
Save a Life will impact cardiovascular disease rates by improving survivability in patients suffering sudden cardiac arrest events by increasing the quality of CPR delivered. While our initial release is designed as a training tool, our next iterations will include guides and assistants that can respond and aid in CPR related emergencies.
How We Help Patients
By helping individuals practice and learn the correct way to perform CPR we hope to help patients by educating CPR providers in high quality CPR techniques thereby increasing survivability of patients in emergency situations. Proper education is key in helping those suffering from cardiovascular disease and other heart conditions obtain and maintain quality of life, this includes ensuring the proper care is delivered in emergency situations.
If you support this project, you can get not only the joy of helping an important mission but we have some nifty rewards for you too!
Show your Pride with the Save a Life Decal
Wear your Pride with the neat Save a Life lid
Carry your pride with the awesome Save a Life Bag
Carry even more of your pride with an even more awesome Save a Life backpack
Thank you for your support!
How We Help Doctors and CPR Instructors
First and foremost, by providing better training to the next generation of CPR providers, our invention will help Physicians and care teams by making saving lives easier.
But what about care providers who need to use CPR? We know you don’t use it very often so the rhythms may be a little faster or slower than ideal and this can make a huge difference when everyone is counting on you. So when they are counting on you, wouldn’t it be great to have an App that you can count on – literally, we mean one that counts for you and keeps you on track – like a metronome for CPR. You can use the existing training program for a refresher course, but we have a better idea we think you will love, but we can’t do it yet without your help.
We know our training software is great but not everyone has Google Glass. We want to take what we have learned about what works in training and make an App(Android, iOS and wearable platforms Android Wear/Apple Watch/MYO) that can help anyone trained in CPR stay in rhythm so the next time you need it, right after you yell for someone to call 911, you can tell your phone to “Open the Save-a-Life App!”
We do need a sponsor for this project so if this sounds like something you want or would use, please support that reward and we will name you specifically in the credits. Sponsor the whole thing and we will name it after you as in the “John Q Doctor Save-a-Life Rescue App”. This will be a wearable connected app for pairing with Android Wear and Apple Watch devices. Pretty sweet!
How We Help Hospitals, Institutions, and/ or Medical Facilities:
Hospital and Institutional Trainers, let us help you objectively measure the performance of your staff being trained via student report cards that include metrics for compression rate, rhythm and depth. Use our Save a Life Glassware to QA and drive the best performance of CPR when needed by letting them practice with real time feedback on their skills in a fun and innovative platform that utilizes multiple senses (auditory, visual and tactile.) You also will increase staff satisfaction by empowering them as Save a Life Glassware users, increasing their confidence in their CPR skill performance.
How We Help Our Partners
We will assist you in setting up your own customized training program with Save a Life Glassware, including remote and onsite training. We also offer a unique opportunity to map your facility AED/CRASH CART locations for connection to Save a Life Glassware training as well. We are also open to integrating or building along your creative lines, so email us and let’s set up a special program for you or take the CUSTOM PARTNER reward at the right and let’s start a great conversation. Email Chris here
How We Will Spend Your Contributions:
All contributions beyond funds required to pay for rewards costs will go toward integrating current Glass application with a web based interface for CPR instructors to login to. Allowing monitoring of student’s progression thru CPR training while providing an individualized report card for each student to either email, print or save to pdf verifying objectively the student’s performance and competency for administering CPR.
Who We Are:
Founders
Chief Medical Officer / CEO Dr Frank Duncan, Director of Emergency Services, Mercy Hospital, Muskegon MI – Linkedin
COO – Brian Toppen, RPH – Linkedin
Clinical Consultant – John Foss, PA-C – Linkedin
CTO / Engineering Lead – Chris Vukin, ADN, technical design and systems integration. – Linkedin
How to Find Us:
Twitter: @evermedgroup
Google+: Here
Company Name: evermed, llc
Project by: Chris Vukin Associate Degree Nursing,
Company Location: Howard City, Michigan
Company Site: www.evermedresearch.org
Email Chris here
Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to read about the vision of Save a Life, we strive everyday to help make a positive impact on healthcare and Save a Life. If you share a like mind in working towards improving healthcare delivery and consumption please share our story and vision with your friends and colleagues, even if you personally are not in a position to take advantage of the various rewards the simple act of sharing a link can be the difference that will Save a Life.
Sincerely Yours,
The evermed team: Frank, Brian, John and Chris.
-
Have a question?
If the info above does not help, you can ask the project creator directly.
-
-
){kind=link}
){kind=link}