Using citizen responders to improve survival after cardiac arrest
Public Access Defibrillation by Activated Citizen First-responders - The HeartRunner Trial
This study tests if having volunteer responders, called 'heart runners', activated through a smartphone app during cardiac arrests can help improve survival rates compared to just standard emergency care.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 1600 (estimated) |
| Ages | 8 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Emergency Medical Services, Capital Region, Denmark Government |
| Locations | 1 site (Copenhagen, Ballerup) |
| Trial ID | NCT03835403 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This study evaluates the impact of activating volunteer citizen responders, known as 'heart runners', through a smartphone app during suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). It compares the 30-day survival rates of patients receiving standard emergency medical services care with those who also have heart runners activated. The trial will randomize incoming emergency calls to either activate heart runners or provide standard care only. Additionally, it will assess the physical and psychological safety of the heart runners involved in the response.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are individuals aged over 7 years who experience a non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest recognized by emergency medical dispatchers.
Not a fit: Patients who may not benefit include those with traumatic cardiac arrests, those in nursing homes with trained personnel, or cases where the emergency medical dispatcher deems an AED is not indicated.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could significantly increase survival rates for patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
How similar studies have performed: Other studies have shown promising results with similar approaches to activating bystander responders in emergency situations.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * All out-of-hospital cardiac arrests recognized by Emergency Medical Dispatcher and where the HeartRunner system is activated. * Non-traumatic etiology, this excludes intoxication, drowning or suicide. * Age \> 7 years Exclusion Criteria: * Caller is not in direct contact with the patient * If Emergency Medical Dispatcher deems AED is not indicated, e.g., in nursing homes where trained personal is present. * OHCAs not treated by the EMS due to ethical reasons or obvious signs of death * OHCAs with no heart runners within 1800 meters * Not true cardiac arrest (suspected, but not verified) * EMS-witnessed OHCAs Emergency medical dispatchers are instructed not to activate heart runners in case any of the exclusion criteria above. However, since it can be challenging for emergency medical dispatchers to gather sufficient information about the patient within the first few minutes, heart runners will admittedly be activated even though they should not have been. Since randomization will occur for all cases in which a heart runner is activated, cases with any of the exclusion criteria will be secondarily excluded. These cases will be accounted for but not included in analyses of outcome. Our pilot study showed approximately 60% of suspected cardiac arrests were true cardiac arrests. Therefore, we expect 40% of cases for which heart runners were dispatched not to be true cardiac arrests.
Where this trial is running
Copenhagen, Ballerup
- Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen — Copenhagen, Ballerup, Denmark (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Fredrik Folke, MD, PhD — Copenhagen EMS
- Study coordinator: Fredrik Folke, MD, PhD
- Email: ff@heart.dk
- Phone: +45 28182978
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.