Swedish iPhone app saves US teen's life
An iPhone app developed by a Swedish doctor has been credited with saving the life of a young American basketball player.
It may sound like a bombastic tagline for an ad campaign but in the case of American teenager Xavier Jones, a mobile app really did save his life.
The 17 year old was playing basketball for his college team La Verne Lutheran High School in California when he collapsed and his heart stopped beating.
Luckily for the teenager, quick thinking coach Eric Cooper Sr. had just downloaded an "app" for his iPhone called "Phone Aid" to help him brush up on his CPR skills and with the phone by his side he was able to revive the youngster.
The app was developed two years ago by Swedish doctor Pontus Johansson, who works at Queen Silvia’s children’s hospital in Gothenburg and his programmer friend Magnus Enarsson.
Johansson knew nothing about the event until shortly before Christmas he received a letter from the coach to tell him the story and thank him.
Cooper explained that with help from an assistant coach he was able to revive Jones and keep his heart beating until paramedics arrived on the scene.
Even though the teams' coaches had been trained in CPR, Cooper said it was useful that he had the app because first aid tecniques were still fresh in his mind.
“It’s fantastic to get such a direct confirmation that the app really can be of use,” said the doctor to the Expressen newspaper.
The story was widely reported in the American media leading to a rush in sales for the Phone Aid app. In the first week alone it was downloaded over 60,000 times, and continues to sell well.
Meanwhile the story ended well for Jones too. His team went on to win the state championship and he has decided he wants to be a doctor.
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It may sound like a bombastic tagline for an ad campaign but in the case of American teenager Xavier Jones, a mobile app really did save his life.
The 17 year old was playing basketball for his college team La Verne Lutheran High School in California when he collapsed and his heart stopped beating.
Luckily for the teenager, quick thinking coach Eric Cooper Sr. had just downloaded an "app" for his iPhone called "Phone Aid" to help him brush up on his CPR skills and with the phone by his side he was able to revive the youngster.
The app was developed two years ago by Swedish doctor Pontus Johansson, who works at Queen Silvia’s children’s hospital in Gothenburg and his programmer friend Magnus Enarsson.
Johansson knew nothing about the event until shortly before Christmas he received a letter from the coach to tell him the story and thank him.
Cooper explained that with help from an assistant coach he was able to revive Jones and keep his heart beating until paramedics arrived on the scene.
Even though the teams' coaches had been trained in CPR, Cooper said it was useful that he had the app because first aid tecniques were still fresh in his mind.
“It’s fantastic to get such a direct confirmation that the app really can be of use,” said the doctor to the Expressen newspaper.
The story was widely reported in the American media leading to a rush in sales for the Phone Aid app. In the first week alone it was downloaded over 60,000 times, and continues to sell well.
Meanwhile the story ended well for Jones too. His team went on to win the state championship and he has decided he wants to be a doctor.
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