Abstract 235: Smartphone Dispatch of Trained and Untrained Volunteer Responders for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Big Data Study Based on Five Years of Experience With the SAUV Life App

Abstract

Introduction: The use of smartphones to dispatch volunteer responders for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has emerged as a promising strategy for improving response times. The SAUV Life app was progressively implemented in France since 2018. In the event of a suspected OHCA, volunteer responders were dispatched by emergency medical services and received remote guidance through the app to the location of the alert, enabling them to initiate or assist in CPR. Hypothesis: Trained volunteers were more likely to arrive at the scene before medical teams and to initiate CPR compared to untrained volunteers. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study to analyse user profiles and interventions from January 1, 2018, to November 30, 2022. Data were automatically collected during interventions and stored in a confidential and anonymized file. Statistical analyses were performed using Python libraries. Volunteers were classified as trained if they possessed a first aid training certificate or an equivalent qualification. Results: During the study period, a total of 631,221 volunteers subscribed to the app. The mean age of volunteers was 40.5 ± 14.5 years. Among them, 461,892/631,221 (73.2%) were categorized as trained volunteers, while 169,329/631,221 (26.8%) as untrained volunteers. There were 1,102,317 alerts recorded, resulting in a total of 21,986 interventions. Among these interventions, 3,687/21,986 (16.8%) involved a volunteer arriving before medical teams, with 4602/4850 (94.9%) being trained volunteers and 248/4850 (5.1%) being untrained volunteers. Trained volunteers were more likely to arrive at the scene before medical teams compared to untrained volunteers, 4602/798102 (0.6%) vs 248/304215 (0.1%) respectively (p < 0.001). Trained volunteers were more likely to initiate CPR compared to untrained volunteers: 3137/4602 (68.2%) vs 121/248 (48.2%) respectively (p < 0.001). During the study period, 522 patients for whom an alert was triggered achieved return of spontaneous circulation. Conclusion: The development of smartphone applications for emergency dispatch following OHCA must continue to be promoted for both trained and untrained populations, but it is essential to prioritize first aid training.