Israeli company introduces GPS-based mobile app 

According to the CDC, each year more than 700,000 Americans have a heart attack. Of these, nearly  200,000 occur in people who have already had heart failure.

In June 2013, Danny Oberman, an Israeli originally from Australia who made Aliyah in 1975, went into cardiac arrest.  At the emergency room, a stent was inserted, and within 48 hours he was discharged. During a follow-up visit with his cardiologist, he was asked what type of stent was inserted, but Oberman could not give his doctor an answer. He had no idea.

His doctor informed him that if another incident occurred, he should go immediately to the nearest hospital with a catheterization laboratory or cath lab, which uses diagnostic imaging equipment to view the arteries of the heart. The cardiologist also recommended that Oberman carry the details of his cardiac history on a piece of paper in the event that he should end up at a different hospital, thus not having access to Oberman’s medical history

“Piece of paper? Surely there must be an app for that!” thought Oberman.

Unfortunately there was not. That is until Oberman envisioned it. Inspired by his personal history with heart disease and years of relevant management experience, Oberman founded CathMaps, an Israeli-based technology company. Together with a small team of talented technical and marketing professionals, and in consultation with some Cardiologists (who then became investors), the CathMaps+ App was developed and launched for the U.S. market on February 11, 2014.

CathMaps+ is the world’s first HIPAA-compliant mobile application for cardiac patients and people living with elevated risk of a cardiac incident. It integrates a patient’s cardiac history with an interactive map of Cath Labs throughout most of the world. CathMaps+ uses mobile technology to provide peace of mind and emergency assistance to hundreds of thousands of Americans in their most urgent time of need. It also allows cardiologists fast access to critical medical history in an emergency, ensuring more informed, personalized and effective treatment.

As a cardiac patient, Oberman knows how useful this app can be in saving precious time, making treatment quicker and more efficient for the physician, and even saving lives. “By creating and launching the CathMaps+ app, it is my hope that heart disease patients and their families will be equipped with a sense of normalcy and peace of mind as they go about their daily lives, and even travel” says Oberman. “As a life or death condition, the idea of suffering a repeat incident can be an almost constant concern.

This app will help offset patient anxiety while also serving as a valuable tool for cardiologists and the medical community overall.”

Owned by Kickstart LLC, CathMaps+ is available for most Android and iOS users and is available on the App Store and Google Store for $4.99.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit www.cathmaps.com.

KARA MARZIALI is the Director of Communications at the Alliance.