HeartHero

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and HeartHero have formed an alliance to make a significant impact on survival rates after sudden cardiac arrest and further ACC’s mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health through HeartHero’s portable automated external defibrillator (AED) technology. While ACC is involved in other innovation relationships, according to a press release, this is the college’s first and only vested relationship with a device company.

The HeartHero AED is designed to guide the user through the resuscitation process with auditory and visual guides, along with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prompts. With integrated technology, recordable and retrievable data from the AED can also be provided to the physician at the time of the incident, thus enhancing patient treatment. The HeartHero AED will be featured at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology (28–30 March 2020, Chicago, USA). 

HeartHero won the Innovation Challenge at ACC’s Annual Scientific Session in New Orleans last year for its miniaturised, portable and user-friendly AED offering a cutting-edge approach to saving lives. With the smaller and lighter AED, people at increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest can store the potentially life-saving device at home or carry it with them, ensuring instant access to an AED. Over 70% of all cardiac arrest will happen in a home environment.

John Rumsfeld, ACC chief science and quality officer and chief innovation officer, states: “AEDs save lives, but despite their increasing presence in buildings and public spaces, there is no way to guarantee quick enough access to one in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. The ACC recognises the life-saving potential for innovative AEDs and is eager to work with HeartHero in making them widely known in the cardiovascular community and widely available to the public.”

Gary Montague, CEO and founder of HeartHero, comments: “While CPR has been the tool that buys us time in cardiac arrest, it is clear that electricity is the medicine that saves your life. Increasing awareness around the importance of AEDs and placement into the homes is the driving passion behind HeartHero’s mission. Our exclusive relationship with the American College of Cardiology is monumental in our goal of saving more lives. With current technology and data, we are able to advance the AED industry with the ambition of making the greatest impact to cardiac arrest survivability seen in our time. Our relationship with the ACC will help pave the way for this outcome through research, studying and identifying those at risk and ultimately getting AEDs placed where they need to be.”

HeartHero is not FDA approved and is not yet available for sale.