ZOLL Medical Corporation has announced that a PocketCPR training application (app) for iPhone is now available from the Apple iTunes App Store for $5.99. PocketCPR for iPhone can be used in all CPR training programs or for individual practice at any time. The new app is designed to prepare both professionals and lay rescuers to perform CPR for victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
Using Real CPR Help, the same proprietary technology found in all ZOLL defibrillators and AEDs, PocketCPR for iPhone provides CPR training with real-time feedback on the rate and depth of compressions. The app provides clear visual and audio step-by-step instructions and feedback to guide CPR practice and also reinforces the American Heart Association and International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (AHA/ILCOR) recommendations on CPR.
With practice on a manikin or resilient foam cushion, the iPhone’s internal accelerometer measures the movement of the user’s hands as simulated chest compressions are delivered. The visual and audio feedback helps to guide the user to the AHA/ILCOR recommended rate of 100 compressions per minute and depth of 1 ½ to 2 inches.
“PocketCPR for iPhone is a training app and is not cleared by the FDA for rescue use. With over 40 million iPhones and iPod Touches in use, providing an easy-to-use application through which the public can learn CPR could significantly help improve outcomes from SCA, the leading cause of unexpected death,” said Mark Totman, President of ZOLL’s Bio-Detek subsidiary that developed the application. “We hope in the future a similar application can be cleared by the FDA for clinical use.”
Over 325,000 Americans die each year from SCA and it is believed that over 70 percent of the time, SCA occurs in the presence of a family member or acquaintance. High quality chest compressions can mean the difference between life and death.
