An off-duty paramedic with Collier County EMS was the first to respond to a possible cardiac arrest call, thanks to a new phone app just introduced by the county.
Lt. Paul Passaretti said he had only had the PulsePoint app installed on his phone for a few weeks when it alerted him on Monday. The app notifies people who have downloaded it when there is a cardiac emergency in their area, usually within a quarter-mile radius.
"I was driving down Airport Road near Naples Boulevard, and I received an alert on my phone through the new PulsePoint app," Passaretti said.
The daughter of an 89-year-old woman having chest pains at the Joann's Fabric store on Naples Boulevard called 911, telling the dispatcher that her mother was having an angina attack. As soon as an ambulance was dispatched, Passaretti received the alert and got to the scene about 3 minutes before the ambulance. When he arrived, the woman was conscious and breathing. He stayed with her until on-duty paramedics arrived.
"Had this been an actual cardiac arrest, I would have been able to perform about 3 minutes of CPR prior to the rest of the crews being on scene," Passaretti said.
He said that those minutes can be crucial, because the chance of losing brain function increases with every minute a patient's blood isn't flowing properly.
"Three minutes could be the difference between them walking out of the hospital, or having permanent damage," Passaretti said.
Passaretti teaches CPR classes, and said that anyone who knows CPR should have the free PulsePoint app. He hopes it will eventually help increase the number of patients that survive cardiac arrest.
"By downloading this app, they may make a huge difference to a family member, or even to people they don't even know," he said.
Passaretti said that just about anyone can learn hands-only CPR. More information can be found at www.CollierCPR.com.
