In the Netherlands, approximately 300 individuals suffer from cardiac arrest outside of the hospital each week. During a cardiac arrest, the heart ceases to pump blood, leading to a lack of blood flow to vital organs. When a cardiac arrest occurs, a person loses consciousness within a matter of seconds. It is crucial to initiate resuscitation immediately, involving chest compressions, ventilations, and prompt defibrillation using an automatic external defibrillator (AED). The sooner resuscitation efforts commence, the higher the chances of survival. The likelihood of surviving a cardiac arrest outside the hospital is estimated to be around 1 in 4, with 80-90% of survivors experiencing a good quality of life.

Partially owing to the citizen emergency network in the Netherlands, known as HartslagNu, the chances of survival following cardiac arrest have doubled in recent years. Unfortunately, this improvement does not extend to cases where no witnesses are present, such as individuals who are alone at home or who pass away in their sleep. Approximately 1 in 3 cardiac arrest victims have no witnesses present, resulting in delayed assistance and reduced chances of survival.

The DETECT study group was established with the objective of developing a technological solution for automatic cardiac arrest detection and prompt notification of emergency services.

The DETECT studies were initiated to develop a technological solution for automated detection of cardiac arrest. The primary goal is to create a wristband, resembling a smartwatch, capable of automatically detecting cardiac arrest and alerting emergency services. Additionally, this wristband will have the capability to transmit the victim's location. Corsano Health's existing Cardiowatch is being further developed for this purpose. This website provides information about the clinical studies of the DETECT project. For more information regarding the Cardiowatch, we refer to de website of Corsano Health.

This research project is financed by public-private partnerships allowance made available by Top Sector Life Science & Health to Hartstichting (Dutch Heart Foundation) to stimulate public-private partnerships.