The HEART-SAFE project: Home Emergency Alerting and Response Technology – Survive A Fatal Event

Each year, around 17,000 people in the Netherlands suffer a cardiac arrest outside the hospital. Many of them die because no one is around to call for help in time. The HEART-SAFE project aims to change this. In a new partnership between Amsterdam UMC, the University of Twente, Dutch tech companies, and citizen responder network HartslagNu, we are developing a smart solution that automatically detects a cardiac arrest using sensors in widely available smartwatches and alerts emergency services immediately, even when no bystanders are present.

Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in Europe and often strikes without warning. In the Netherlands, about half of these cardiac arrests are unwitnessed, meaning nobody is there to start CPR or call 112. In such cases, the chance of survival is virtually zero. Even when someone does witness the collapse, it often takes several minutes before help is called—and with every passing minute, the chance of survival drops quickly. That’s why innovation is needed: to recognize cardiac arrest earlier, respond faster, and give people a better chance of survival and recovery.

Our approach is simple, yet innovative and powerful. We use smartwatches that many people already wear. These watches contain sensors that monitor pulse, movement, and more. With artificial intelligence, we can train these devices to recognize the absence of blood flow that occurs during cardiac arrest. When this happens, an app sends an alert directly to emergency services and trained citizen responders, so help can arrive within minutes.

The HEART-SAFE project will deliver an open-source detection algorithm, and a working alert system connected to the existing HartslagNu network. This innovation could save thousands of lives every year—and improve the quality of life for many more.

More information about Heart-Safe