B.C. has launched the first provincewide smartphone app aimed at turning bystanders into potential lifesavers of heart attack victims.
Emergency Health Services says the PulsePoint app connects users to emergency dispatchers who would send a notification to the mobile devices of those within walking distance when a sudden cardiac arrest occurs in a public place.
It says users with CPR training can then quickly go to the patient and begin resuscitation efforts while paramedics are en route.
EHS says the smartphone alert could also save lives by showing users a map pinpointing the location of nearby portable public defibrillators.
