What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)?
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump blood to the brain and the rest of the body. This is usually caused when the electrical impulses in the affected heart become rapid (ventricular tachycardia, or “VT”) or chaotic (ventricular fibrillation, or “VF”), or both. In most cases, there are no warning signs or symptoms.

Facts About SCA

• Every year thousands of people die of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Only in Europe over 400.000, in USA over 325.000 people die every year.                             

(World Health Organization)

Who is at Risk?
SCA can strike persons of any age, gender, race, and even those who seem in good health, as evidenced by world class professional athletes. Many patients who may be at risk are not being identified, screened and given options for medical treatment.

What Causes SCA?
SCA may be caused by certain incidents like:

• Respiratory Arrest
• Drowning
• Trauma
• Electric Shock
• Stress
• Drugs
• Sudden Emotional Changes
• Excessive Physical Activity

Diagnosis & Treatment: Automated External Defibrillators
SCA is a treatable condition that does not have to lead to sudden death. When someone suffers SCA, he or she may be fine one minute and then collapse without warning the next. Without immediate intervention, the victim almost always dies. When someone is in SCA, he or she suddenly loses consciousness, normal breathing stops, and there are no signs of life.

When someone collapses from SCA, use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are essential for any chance of recovery.

Early defibrillation with an AED is a critical link in the chain-of-survival because the time between collapse and defibrillation is a key indicator of survival from SCA. For patients in ventricular fibrillation, previous studies have shown if early defibrillation is provided within the first minute, the odds are 90 percent that the victim’s life can be saved. After that, the rate of survival drops 7-10 % with every minute.

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device which automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient. It is able to treat the patient through defibrillation, which is the application of electrical therapy that stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm.

One of the most common reasons SCA victims do not survive is that bystanders hesitate to call the emergency number, start CPR and use AEDs right away. If you want to save a life, get involved. Your actions can only help. Doing nothing is the worst option.

Stories of SCA Survivors

• 65-year-old golfer collapsed while finishing the 13th hole at Hornby Glen Golf Course on Friday July 25. Fortunately for McEwan, Dr. Dan Honsinger, a McMaster Medical School resident, currently working in the Emergency Room at Credit Valley Hospital, was standing on the 13th tee and witnessed the collapse. He and his playing partner, Kyle Stumpf, a volunteer firefighter from Holland Landing, ran up to the green and immediately initiated CPR. They placed the emergency call and also called the pro shop to have the AED brought out to the 13th hole, they estimated it was there in about three minutes. Two shocks were delivered with the AED. When the ambulance arrived after second shock, the patient had a pulse and was breathing on his own.

http://www.independentfreepress.com/news/article/53851

• It has happened for the 20th time at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX). An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) - in the hands of someone who knew what they were doing - has saved a life. It happened on July 18 when a 73-year old man en route to California collapsed in a restroom. A couple of passengers performed CPR, while a US Airways customer service representative grabbed an AED. The passengers then proceeded to shock the man five times, and were able to restore his heartbeat. Phoenix Airport Police got the man into an ambulance and headed to a hospital. He was breathing on his own, alert and talking with paramedics in the ambulance.

http://news.cheapflights.com/airlines/2008/08/in-phoenix-anot.html

• On 31’st July, an 83-year-old visiting yachtsman suffered a heart attack aboard his yacht at Billings Diesel & Marine in Stonington. The man’s heart had stopped beating and for all intents and purposes, he was dead, said Juliee Reed. The condition could be treated, but only with a defibrillator, a device that administers an electrical shock to a stopped heart.

http://ellsworthmaine.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16130&Itemid=31

• Cassandra Pope, 33 years old, had sudden cardiac arrest on 23’rd October 2007. An AED, a small, easy-to-use machine that analyzes the heart rhythm and, if necessary, delivers a shock to restart the heart of a cardiac arrest victim, saved her life. The device was in the trunk of Madison County Sheriff's Deputy Matt Holloway's patrol car when Travis made a frantic call to 911 at 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 23. Holloway got to the Popes' home just ahead of HEMSI paramedics. He started CPR on her and the lady at 911 told me to just keep doing CPR, she had an ambulance on the way," said Travis, 31. "She was really gone when the sheriff got here, the CPR wasn't working and he had to shock her four times, and then she got a slight pulse back.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/1217495719206060.xml&coll= 1