Local gaming company develops free Heart Hero app for CPR month

“Heart Hero,” a mobile app released for CPR month by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, BC & Yukon, and its creator, Genius Factor Games, allows mobile phone users to practice CPR on the go

Vancouver, BC – November is CPR month, and beginning today, mobile phone users can download the Heart Hero app and practice CPR to the catchy beat of the Bee Gees’ hit, Stayin’ Alive.

Staff at Vancouver’s Genius Factor Games donated their time to develop the app specifically for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, BC & Yukon. It provides an easy, fun - and free - way to practice and learn about CPR on the go.

The iconic disco song was chosen because the rhythm provides just the right pace for performing CPR on an adult.

“Creating this app was a very personal process for me,” said Genius Factor founder Ted Nugent. “My father experienced multiple strokes at a relatively young age. During his recovery, I witnessed first-hand the invaluable recuperative support by the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s programs. Sadly, he ultimately died of complications due to stroke and heart disease, and ever since then I’ve been motivated to do something to honour his memory and recognize the fine work of the Foundation. Developing this app was a great start to do that.”

He added that volunteerism is an important part of the culture at Genius Factor, where staff offer a portion of their time for free each year with organizations that are meaningful to them.

Heart Hero includes a video by the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s BC Senior Provincial Advisor for Basic Life Support, Sandy Barabe , providing an overview of the CPR procedures. The game portion allows users to go through the motions of CPR on an unconscious adult; shaking to gauge consciousness, checking for pulse and breathing, and performing compressions. Each game level provides increased difficulty and time accuracy. Liberty Music Trax of Montreal, a digital music licensing service and content partner of Genius Factor, provided additional music for free.

“It’s clear that cardiopulmonary resuscitation improves the odds of surviving cardiac arrest, but just as importantly, the app provides CPR practitioners with the practice and confidence needed to employ those skills in an emergency situation,” said Lisa Hutcheon, Manager of Patient Programs at the Heart and Stroke Foundation, BC & Yukon.

She added: “We know that many people hold back from doing CPR because they are afraid they may do it wrong, but technique is actually less important than doing chest compressions quickly and firmly. This app is a fun, free way to practice CPR and improve confidence. It has the potential to be lifesaving.”

The odds of surviving a cardiac arrest are almost four times greater if someone performs CPR right away. When CPR is combined with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and used within the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest, survival rates can increase by as much as 75 per cent. Without CPR and defibrillation, fewer than five per cent of people who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive.

The app is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users via the Appstore. Visit here to download it: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/heart-hero/id467016342?mt=8 . Additional information about the game can be found at http://hearthero.geniusfactorgames.com

Features include:

• Video tutorial on the 2011 definition of CPR and using en AED (automatic external defibrillator).
• Heart & Stroke Foundation office finder (Canada-wide).
• Important facts about CPR and the Heart & Stroke Foundation.
• Seven challenging Heart Hero mini-games to test your skills in saving a patient with the basic CPR techniques.

While the app is a valuable tool to practice CPR, it does not replace CPR certification. The Foundation recommends that all Canadians learn the life-saving skills of CPR and review this knowledge often. Learning and reviewing CPR skills has been made much easier with an at-home video kit, the Heart and Stroke CPR AnytimeTM for Family and FriendsTM. The kit teaches the basic skills of CPR in as little as 22 minutes.

About Genius Factor Games Inc.
Based in Vancouver, Genius Factor Games is a digital entertainment company specializing in innovative, interactive titles for the Apple iPhone, mobile and social media platforms. Its goal is to deliver casual games characterized by a unique, “pick up and play” experience in five minutes or less.

About the Heart and Stroke Foundation
The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy.

Media Contacts:
Heart and Stroke Foundation, BC & Yukon office
Kathryn MacLeod
604.737.3402
kmacleod@hsf.bc.ca
@TheHSF
Genius Factor Games Inc.
Ann Gibbon
604.263.0634
press@geniusfactorgames.com
@geniusfactor