Massachusetts General Hospital launches digital health solution with American Heart Association

BOSTON – Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is announcing the launch of a new digital health application for frontline healthcare workers today – in collaboration with the American Heart Association. In situations where seconds count, the MGH Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) app offers algorithms and key resources to clinicians responding to life-threatening cardiac emergencies – with the swipe of a smartphone or tablet.

Developed by the MGH Healthcare Transformation Lab (HTL)—a leading healthcare innovation center—the app is designed to assist healthcare workers already trained in directing a “code” or ACLS. The app provides protocols, as well as other enhanced functionalities, to enable doctors to best care for adult patients during cardiac arrest and dangerous cardiac arrhythmias.

“Saving a life just got easier,” says Jared Conley, MD, PhD, MPH,  co-creator of the app, associate director of the MGH Healthcare Transformation Lab and physician in the Department Emergency Medicine at MGH. “We’ve worked closely with the American Heart Association to develop a digital health solution for clinical teams to seamlessly reference evidenced-based protocols and be further empowered to deliver life-saving care. As we continue to see clinicians redeployed to new settings every day because of COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to have this type of solution at the ready.”

The app serves as a reference for ACLS instructions for each condition, including notes on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), defibrillation, drug therapies and dosages—as well as providing functionalities to document important steps and track timing. The newest components are critical protocol updates for COVID-19, just released by the American Heart Association in April 2020.

“Our app is like a checklist for saving a life. We designed it to help clinicians—from all levels of training—run codes more effectively, and more confidently, at the bedside,” says Andrew Chu, MD, co-creator of the app, fellow in healthcare innovation at HTL, and resident physician in MGH Emergency Medicine. “It has improved the care I give my patients, and we hope our colleagues around the country use it too. We’re thankful to the American Heart Association for making that a possibility.”  

All ACLS content in the app has been developed, studied, and published by the American Heart Association.

“In the 1920s, one of the founders of the American Heart Association was Dr. Paul Dudley White of the MGH,” says Tammy Gregory, executive vice president of Healthcare Business Solutions at the American Heart Association.“The Association has a rich history of working closely with the cardiologists of MGH, so it seems only fitting to continue on this innovative and inclusive path to a product that can benefit so many care teams.”

The new ACLS app is now available for download for iOS users and will be available soon* for Android users.

*Update (March 22, 2021): The new ACLS app is now available for download for both iOS and Android users.

About the Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with an annual research budget of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 8,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2020 the MGH was named #6 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in its list of "America’s Best Hospitals."

About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.