A Bell Post Hill grandmother is thankful for a smartphone app that saved her life when she went into cardiac arrest.
GoodSAM is a free smartphone app that connects people experiencing cardiac arrest with nearby community members who could start CPR and more than double someone’s chances of survival.
Trish Fleming said she felt lucky to be helped by a registered GoodSAM while she was in cardiac arrest in February this year, helping her make a recovery three months later.
“When my husband realised I was in cardiac arrest, he immediately called Triple Zero and commenced CPR,” she said.
“A few moments later, a good samaritan called Alex arrived at our door and took over the CPR from Bill… I am so grateful to Alex and to the paramedics, to everyone involved, they are all absolute angels.”
Ambulance Victoria found that rates of survival to hospital discharge were 37 per cent more likely when GoodSAM responders arrived before paramedics for patients in cardiac arrest, according to new research.
Paramedic and researcher Belinda Delardes led the study and said technology like GoodSAM helped improve patient survivability.
“Through this novel research we can demonstrate the tangible impact from GoodSAM responders in Australia for the first time,” she said.
“GoodSAM is about bringing a level of care from the community into private residential areas, which is where most people suffer a cardiac arrest.
“We’ve known for a long time that patients who experience a cardiac arrest in public have better survival rates due to increased rates of bystander CPR and defibrillation.
“We want to encourage more people to download this life-saving app. The more density we have in terms of GoodSAM responders, the better outcomes we can achieve for patients.”
