Rationale and design of the BECA project: Smartwatch-based activation of the chain of survival for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a major health problem, and the overall survival rate is low (4.6%-16.4%). The initiation of the current chain of survival depends on the presence of a witness of the cardiac arrest, which is not present in 29.7%-63.4% of the cases. Furthermore, a delay in starting this chain is common in witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. This project aims to reduce morbidity and mortality due to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by developing a smartwatch-based solution to expedite the chain of survival in the case of (un)witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Within the 'Beating Cardiac Arrest' project, we aim to develop a demonstrator product that detects out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using photoplethysmography and accelerometer analysis, and autonomously alerts emergency medical services. A target group study will be performed to determine who benefits the most from this product. Furthermore, several clinical studies will be conducted to capture or simulate data on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases, as to develop detection algorithms and validate their diagnostic performance. For this, the product will be worn by patients at high risk for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, by volunteers who will temporarily interrupt blood flow in their arm by inflating a blood pressure cuff, and by patients who undergo cardiac electrophysiologic and implantable cardioverter defibrillator testing procedures. Moreover, studies on psychosocial and ethical acceptability will be conducted, consisting of surveys, focus groups, and interviews. These studies will focus on end-user preferences and needs, to ensure that important individual and societal values are respected in the design process.

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© 2024 The Author(s).

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Contracts have been granted by Medtronic B.V. to the institution of Lukas R.C. Dekker. Reinder Haakma is currently employed by Philips Electronics Nederland B.V. Tom A. Kooy is currently employed by Stan B.V. Carlijn A. Vernooij has been employed by Philips Electronics Nederland B.V. Rik Vullings has been a consultant for Philips Electronics Nederland B.V. Both Philips Electronics Nederland B.V. and Stan B.V. are involved with the BECA project.