SALT LAKE CITY—Priority Dispatch Corp. (PDC), the world leader in emergency dispatch technology, including ProQA software, and Atrus, Inc, creators of the AED Link software and the National AED Registry, have signed a partnership agreement to support their mutual missions to dramatically improve sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survival rates.

It is widely known that survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest increase dramatically when the first defibrillation shock from an AED is applied prior to the arrival of EMS. Atrus’ AED Link software quickly connects SCA victims with potentially available AEDs and volunteer citizen users.

With AED Link available directly through ProQA, when a cardiac arrest alert is received by the dispatch center AED Link will notify volunteers automatically by text message or voice message as well as display a map showing telecommunicators the location of each AED and potential responders. Atrus’ bi-directional communication capabilities also allow the telecommunicators to be aware of the responders’ activities.

To date, the average response time of an AED Link-alerted volunteer on scene, with an AED in hand, has been about 4 minutes prior to the arrival of EMS.

Atrus’ National AED Registry is a free service that provides AED location data through registered AED owners in support of operational readiness. Atrus also operates the registries for Maryland; Minnesota; Nevada; Orange County, Fla.; and the Cayman Islands.

PDC’s ProQA maximizes first response at the emergency communication center through scripted Pre-Arrival Instructions (PAIs) within the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS).

“The ProQA system will give dispatch centers greater accessibility to Atrus’ AED Link,” according to Ron McDaniel, PDC Vice President, Client Support. “Together, we are determined to improve survival rates for the victims of sudden cardiac arrest.”

Elliot Fisch, President/CEO and co-founder of Atrus, noted that all too often people are dying in places with AEDs because the location of the nearest AED is unknown to dispatchers or secondary bystanders.
“You can’t get an AED during an emergency if you don’t know where one is,” he said. “This collaboration will go a long way in getting AEDs on scene much more rapidly.”

About PDC
PDC provides products and training for emergency dispatch centers using a comprehensive systems approach. The Priority Dispatch System (medical, fire, and police) and the Emergency Communication Nurse System™ (ECNS) have gained international credibility from 35 years of testing, research, and user input. The Priority Dispatch System is available in 21 languages/dialects and is used in 45 countries including: Malaysia, China, Australia, Brazil, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Lithuania, Qatar, Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.

For more information, visit www.prioritydispatch.net.

About Atrus
Atrus AED Link is a cloud-based technology that can provide registered AED location information to 9-1-1 call takers in real time during a SCA call. This information can let them inform a secondary bystander about that AEDs location in order to retrieve it if needed. The system also auto-notifies trained registered responders affiliated with that AED to have them bring it on scene.
AED Link is currently installed in 30 EMS systems in California, Florida, Minnesota, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Canada and the Cayman Islands. It serves 260 municipalities covering a population of nearly 6 million.
For more information visit: www.atrusinc.com.
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