The Application of Google Glass in Sudden Cardiac Death

(Editor’s Note: John Nosta writes for Forbes under the heading, “Health Critical”)

(Editor’s Note: John Nosta writes for Forbes under the heading, “Health Critical”)

Google Glass has made its way into healthcare.  Its use in the operating room and in medical education has been profiled here.  Yet the magic of Glass will be found in the applications that can make this “technology” into real-world solutions for health and medicine.  It’s a bit like the smart phone and how its realization is a function of the countless apps that bring the device to life.

Christian Assad, MD has taken the next step with Glass by developing a practical app that can turn Glass into a real life-saver. He recently profiles this application on his blog and I believe it’s an important turn of events that showcase just how technology can be applied to medicine and public health issues.  Here’s how it presents the concept in his blog–Google Glass and augmented CPR:

THE CPRGLASS SCENARIO

1)   Person walking, witnesses someone passing out (syncope)

2)   Individual says “OK GLASS, CPRGLASS”
A) Instructions appear ABC (Assess Airway, Breathing and Circulation)
B) “OK GLASS, No Pulse!” (An algorithm developed by Hao-Yu Wu et al at MIT demonstrate how a normal camera can detect a pulse in a person with strong accuracy.) We are looking incorporate such algorithm aka (which will be open source) ”Eulerian video magnification” to CPRGLASS for 2 reasons:
       1) Will help as an innovative method to assess if the compressions are adequate
       2) Will be able to tell us if patient has regained pulse if we stop compressions, possibly, instead of even having to look for a pulse

3)   This triggers the following algorithm
A) Staying Alive Music starts which will guide you to do the compressions at a rate of 100/min.
B) Gyroscope tells you if compressions are adequate enough by moving
C) Tracks TIME of CPR initiation and number of compressions given
D) Calls 911 with your GPS based location
E) Via GPS will try to find nearest AED which information is being obtained by crowdsourcing. Ex AED4US
F) Sends Txt Msg to nearest hospital with information regarding ungoing CPR for them to get prepared

Dr. Assad combines science, technology and popular culture to create a platform that is as simple as it is important.  From the scientific underpinning to the driving musical beat, he’s part of a generation of clinicians ushering in digital health and the interesting and evolving role of Google Glass.

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