Download American HEART Month February is How Common is Sudden

How Common is Sudden
Cardiac Arrest?
Each year, 424,000 people in the U.S.
(more than 1,000 per day) experience
EMS-assessed out-of-hospital nontraumatic SCA, and nine out of 10
victims die. This is roughly equivalent
to the number of people who die
from Alzheimers’ disease, assault with
firearms, breast cancer, cervical cancer,
colorectal cancer, diabetes, HIV, house
fires, motor vehicle accidents, prostate
cancer and suicides combined. In fact,
the incidence of sudden cardiac death
is nearly 10 times higher than the
incidence of death from breast cancer.
The American Heart Association
estimates that nearly 10,000 youth die
from SCA. Annually, one in 50 high
schools will experience an SCA event on
school property.
February is
American HEART
Month
Is Sudden Cardiac Arrest the
Same as a Heart Attack?
No. A heart attack (or a myocardial infarction) occurs
when part of the heart’s blood supply is reduced or blocked,
causing the heart muscle to become injured or die. It has been
described as a “plumbing problem” in the heart. The heart
attack victim is awake and may complain about one or more
of the signs and symptoms of heart attack. In contrast, the
SCA victim is not awake and needs immediate help.
While a heart attack can lead to SCA, there are many other
causes, including:
• Thickening of the heart muscle (e.g., Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy, Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular
Dysplasia).
• Heart rhythm disorders (e.g., Brugada syndrome, long QT
syndrome, Wolff Parkinson White syndrome).
• Heart valve disorders (e.g., Mitral Valve
Prolapse).
• Other causes of SCA among people
who do not have heart disease
include recreational drug use,
electrocution, and commotio
cordis, a disruption in the heart
rhythm due to a sudden blow to
the chest.
• When SCA occurs, the heart stops
beating in an effective, organized
manner. As a result, blood is no
longer pumped throughout the
body. The person suddenly passes
out and appears lifeless, except for
abnormal “gasping,” which may
last for several minutes.
How should sudden cardiac arrest be treated?
• Occasionally, SCA victims
SCA victims can survive if they receive immediate
experience 10-20 seconds of
CPR and are treated quickly with defibrillators.
seizure activity (shaking of the
To be effective, this treatment must be
arms and legs) at the onset of the
delivered quickly—ideally, within
event, as the brain stops receiving
three to five minutes after
blood and oxygen from the heart.
collapse.
401 N. Ewing St. • Lancaster, Ohio 43130
740-689-6893 • www.fmchealth.org
What is the Snider
Community Heart
Watch (SCHW)?
Snider Community Heart Watch
Achievements:
• Hosted the 7th Annual SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death
Syndrome) International Conference.
• Developed the Hands on Practical Experience (HOPE)
training (compression only CPR) that has been adopted
internationally by the American Safety and Health
Institute.
• Trained over 11,000 students in compression only CPR
using the HOPE program.
• Installed nearly 300 AEDs in our community through
our Public Access AED program.
• Developed Heart Safe School Accreditation and have 21
accredited schools.
• Developed Heart Safe Business Accreditation and have 15
accredited businesses.
• Piloted Heart Safe University Accreditation.
• Provided numerous educational opportunities to schools,
businesses and civic organizations.
• Provided annual Community Provider CPR training free
of charge.
• The Snider Community Heart Watch is comprised of
Fairfield Medical Center employees and community
members/leaders.
• To date all services have been provided
without fees for service.
The SCHW was created in 2011
to assist our community to better
respond to cardiac arrest. The goals
of the SCHW include:
• Increase awareness of sudden
cardiac arrest.
• Increase the number of people
trained in compression
only CPR.
• Increase the number of AEDs
available in our community.
• Increase survival rates of
sudden cardiac arrest in our
community.
Do Most Sudden
Cardiac Arrest
Victims Survive?
On average, only 10.4 percent
of EMS-treated non-traumatic
SCA victims of any age survive.
Survival rates among young SCA
victims is somewhat lower (5.4
percent). However, when victims
are treated quickly, their chances
of survival improve dramatically.
If bystanders provide CPR and
use an AED to treat the victim
before EMS arrives, survival rates
increase to 38 percent. In other
words, bystanders who take action
by calling 9-1-1, starting CPR, and
using the nearest AED can mean
the difference between life and
death for victims of sudden cardiac
arrest. For every minute without
CPR and defibrillation, the victim’s
chance of survival decreases by
7-10 percent.
Reference: Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, 2014