Listen to your neck, and you’ll never miss a beat!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
When someone performs CPR, they have to STOP and check for a pulse. But every pause lowers the chance of survival. What if a sensor could spot the heartbeat — without stopping?
Bjørn Faldaas and team at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology tested “Rescue Doppler.” It’s a hands-free ultrasound sticker taped to the neck.
In animal models of cardiac arrest, the device listened for blood flow. Even during compressions! It worked in fifty-one of fifty-nine tests, with ninety-eight percent sensitivity!
A sticker on your neck that signals when the heart restarts? Without ever pausing CPR? That’s a real heartbeat hack!
Reference: Faldaas, B. O., Storm, B. S., Lappegård, K. T., How, O.-J., Nilsen, B. A., Kiss, G., Skogvoll, E., Nielsen, E. W., Torp, H., & Ingul, C. B. (2024). A hands-free carotid Doppler can identify spontaneous circulation without interrupting cardiopulmonary resuscitation: An animal study. Intensive Care Medicine Experimental, 12(1), 121. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40635-024-00704-wp