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M.S.P
Medical Satellite Program
By Isla Richards
Age 16
Reasons for the program
Sudden cardiac arrest kills tens of thousands of
people across the globe every year.

Many of these lives could be saved by faster recognition of the
abnormal heart rhythm immediately before or at the point of arrest and
quicker response from EMS.

For example in 2015 the emergency services in the UK attempted to
resuscitate 28,000 victims of cardiac arrest:
80% at home
20% in public places

Only 8.6% of these patients survived to discharge from hospital. Often
due to the time difference between the arrest and resuscitation
beginning.
https://www.resus.org.uk/resuscitation-guidelines/peri-arrest-arrhythmias/

Cardiac arrhythmias are relatively common in the ‘peri-arrest’
period. An arrhythmia may proceed the development of
ventricular fibrillation (VF) or asystole or may develop after
successful defibrillation. Arrhythmias are common in the
setting of acute myocardial infarction (Heart Attack, that can
often lead to cardiac arrest).
How it would impact
My Medical Satellite Program allow the
ambulance service to know the instant a
patient arrests or even before!
 This could dramatically improve the
survival rate of cardiac arrest. by
decreasing the time between arrest
resuscitation and defibrillation.

The Aim
I aim to do this by building upon the
technology of a heart rate monitor to insure
the patient/user has a sinus rhythm.
 When the patient experiences an abnormal
heart rate (arrhythmia) the monitor can
detect it and alert the closest EMS
resource, advise the patient and
bystanders help is on the way and provide
CPR instructions should the patient arrest.

How it would work
The monitor will transmit a GPS signal when the programmed arrhythmias are
detected to trigger trilateration to pin-point the patients position on the Earth’s
surface.
Trilateration is calculated by the timing signals from three satellites in the Global
Positioning System. Every satellite within the GPS constellation sends periodic
signals (a signal that completes a pattern within a measurable time frame).
The signals will be received by the GPS in the monitor allowing the satellites to
calculate the distance between the monitor and themselves from the time taken
between when the signal was sent and when it was received.
The patients position can be calculated using three circles centred on each of the
landmarks overlapping the location.
This will allow the satellites to determine the location, time of day, and the speed
of the patient’s movement.
http://www.mio.com/technology-trilateration.htm
Transmission and Delay
The information can be transmitted from the satellites
to the closest Ambulance service resource which
again will be determined from GPS satellite data.
Potentially allowing the responding resource to
receive the information before the patient has even
arrested!
The only delay to be factored into the system is the
time taken for the signal to be received from the
satellites depending on the height of the
geostationary satellites from the earths surface
The Information Impact
The information that trilateration will provide can
also show the altitude of the patients position by
the addition of a 4th satellite
This will provide the ambulance service with the
time, speed and positioning data to allow them to
respond with the most appropriate resource (e.g.
Helicopter, fast response car or ambulance) plus
the current location of the resource, the distance
to the patient, the estimated time of arrival and
whether the patient is still in motion
The Overall Benefit
By using this system we could dramatically
improve the survival rates of cardiac arrest
and heart attack
 The system could also be developed by
adding the ability of the monitor bracelet to
tell the patient and bystanders the location
of the nearest defibrillator.
 The system has infinite uses and has the
potential to be of benefit to the entire
population.
