The initiative, which starts with a network of 1,450 semi-automatic defibrillators distributed across the region, aims to provide a rapid response to emergencies in public spaces. The Canary Islands thus become the second autonomous community in the country to implement this type of resource, promoted by the Spanish Society of Cardiology, the Canary Islands Heart Foundation, and the Red Cross.
According to Esther Monzón, the Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, the application geolocates defibrillators and sends alerts to registered volunteers who are near the affected person when a call is made to 112. The goal is to expand the response capacity until medical personnel arrive, given that the SUC attended 1,318 cardiac arrests last year and nearly 700 between January and June of this year.
To participate as a volunteer, it is necessary to download the application and enter personal data, which will be connected to the SUC's emergency management system. Upon receiving an alert, the health coordinator will activate the 'Ariadna Emergency' function, which will locate collaborators within a one-kilometer radius. Volunteers will receive a call and a map with the location of the emergency and available defibrillators.
The director of the SUC, Noemí González, called for citizen involvement, emphasizing that anyone can be a volunteer. Unlike other regions, in the Islands, registration does not require prior knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as the defibrillation decree allows a health coordinator to guide the volunteer by phone.
Cardiologist Pablo Jorge highlighted the importance of citizen intervention in the first minutes after a cardiac arrest, noting that out-of-hospital survival in Europe is less than 10%. Awareness, training, and volunteering are key to improving these results and doubling survival within five years.
The 'Ariadna' application is available on Google Play and the App Store. Users can register as collaborators or register new defibrillators, thus facilitating the expansion of the network.
