A potentially lifesaving new smartphone app can help people determine if they are suffering heart attacks or strokes and should seek medical attention, a clinical study suggests.
The ECHAS app (Emergency Call for Heart Attack and Stroke) is being developed by experts at UVA Health, Harvard, Northeastern and other leading institutions. It is designed to help people recognize the signs of cardiac and neurological emergencies so that they get care as quickly as possible, for the best possible outcomes.
Put to the test in an initial clinical study with more than 200 real-life emergency-room patients, the app proved effective at identifying people suffering strokes or heart attacks. It had a "high sensitivity" the researchers report, for detecting people who needed emergency care and was rated "highly usable," suggesting it could be an easy and effective resource for people untrained to recognize the signs of a potentially devastating health emergency.
Heart attack and stroke are two leading causes of death in Virginia and the U.S. Our study found that the ECHAS app could accurately identify patients with heart attack, stroke and other emergency brain or heart problems who needed evaluation in the emergency room or admission to the hospital. We hope ECHAS could help save lives by reducing delay and helping patients get the heart attack and stroke care they need."
Jonathan R. Crowe, MD, MPH, UVA Health neurologist, one of the study's authors
