Media

For media inquiries, please contact:

Holly Auer, MBE
Senior Medical Commnuications Officer
Penn Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania Health System
Office: 215-349-5659 Cell: 215-200-2313
uphs.upenn.edu/news
On Twitter: @PennMedMedia | @MyHeartMap

View Holly's blog post about the contest on the Perelman School of Medicine's website!

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After a cardiac arrest with a shockable rhythm, the likelihood of survival diminishes 10% every minute without CPR. Time is of the essence. With an estimated 1 million Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) in the US, these devices along with CPR could save thousands of lives annually. Our inability to locate AEDs in an emergency situation diminishes their life-saving benefits.

PENN's MyHeartMap Challenge offers an innovative opportunity to engage YOUR community in helping to save those who will suffer a life threatening cardiac arrest. Every year, an estimated 300,000 sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrests take place in the USA. Many adverse outcomes can be avoided with access to better, more comprehensive information.

"AEDs enhance the likelihood of saving lives, but we don't know where they reside!"
– Dr. Becker

" DARPA succeeded with locating red balloons. AEDs are a natural extension of a brilliant idea"
– Dr. Merchant

This initiative is sponsored by a host of leading medical device industry manufacturers, foundations, and grants.