LifeSaveHer

LifeSaveHer is a low-cost, realistic, and durable breast-adjunct that attaches to existing CPR manikins in order to decrease the gender-gap in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates. 350,000 Americans go into cardiac arrest in public each year, making it one of the most deadly public health emergencies. CPR, an intervention that includes chest compression, breaths, and AED use, is a lifesaving skill taught to thousands each year that can triple someone's chance of survival. CPR must be administered quickly to have maximum effect. Yet, Women are 27% more likely not to receive CPR in public than men. This is due to a variety of reasons, some of which are negative public perceptions around touching and unclothing a female torso. Another, however, is that CPR trainings use nearly exclusively male manikins and models. Female CPR manikins that do exist are far more expensive or far less durable than comparable male manikins, making them rarely used. We are a team of MIT and Harvard EMTs, engineers, biologists, and social scientists aiming to eliminate this gender-survival gap by creating the LifeSaveHer.