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Sudden Cardiac Arrest facts
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is an enormous healthcare challenge. It is also a condition that is commonly misunderstood. For instance, too often, SCA is confused with a heart attack, potentially leading to reduced awareness of its devastating impact on people of all ages.
SCA’s prevalence and lethality are staggering and can be very eye-opening, particularly for those just learning the issue. For example, did you know that:
- SCA is a leading cause of death in the United States, taking the lives of over 350,000 people per year in the United States.
- Nearly 90% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are fatal.
- SCA can happen to people of all ages, including children and teens, and even people who appear to be in good health.
- Globally, cardiac arrest claims more lives than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, influenza, pneumonia, auto accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires - combined!
- When a person falls into SCA, the two most common arrhythmias are ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. Each of these rhythms is “shockable” with an AED unit.
In addition to the enormous loss of life, SCA has a highly negative impact on the economy:
The estimated financial impact of cardiac arrest on society is greater than for all individual cancers, with 2 million years of life lost for men and 1.3 million years for women.
Unfortunately, unlike many other injuries and illnesses, SCA is challenging to predict. It commonly strikes without warning, often with its first sign or symptom being a person’s collapse.
Additionally, SCA can impact virtually anyone, including seemingly healthy people.
- Cardiac arrest is the #1 cause of death among student-athletes and claims over 9,500 young lives every year.
- 1 in 12,000 pregnant people admitted for delivery in the United States suffer from Sudden Cardiac Arrest
- Among adults treated by EMS, 25% had no symptoms before the onset of arrest.
Since SCA typically strikes without warning, it’s difficult to be vigilant everywhere all the time. For example:
- Approximately 70% of SCAs occur in the home or place of residence, where AEDs are rarely available.
- There are about 10,000 cardiac arrests in the workplace each year in the United States.
- 1 in 25 US high schools can expect to have a SCA event each year.
- Victims of cardiac arrest in gyms & health clubs with an AED have a 93% chance of survival versus 9% chance when no AED is present.
- Research shows that over 50% of people who attend religious services at least once a week are over the age of 50, indicating that the vast majority of people at faith-based organizations are at higher risk of SCA. AEDs need to be readily accessible at faith-based organizations.
Responding to and Treating Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment with Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and a defibrillation shock delivered by an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
When you recognize that someone has suffered from SCA, it is essential that you and other bystanders immediately call 911, start CPR, and use an AED. Do not wait for Emergency Medical Services to arrive because:
The average response time for EMS in the US is 8-12 minutes
Every minute that defibrillation from an AED is not received reduces survival chances by 7-10%
Cardiac arrest victims will have the best chance of survival if they receive a defibrillation shock within the first 5 minutes
If administered immediately after cardiac arrest, CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
While CPR is important to keep blood flowing to the brain and vital organs, an AED is the only way to restart the heart!
Key Facts About CPR
CPR is simple to learn and does not require that you perform mouth-to-mouth breathing.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest is witnessed by a bystander in approximately 37% of cases.
Women are less likely to survive SCA than men, and women less likely to receive CPR.
You cannot hurt someone in cardiac arrest more by performing CPR; you can only help.
Key Facts About AEDs
An AED is a device that delivers a defibrillation shock to a person in Cardiac Arrest to restart their heart into a normal rhythm.
AEDs will automatically analyze the patient’s heart rhythm and will only deliver a shock if the rhythm is determined to be “shockable.” AEDs will not provide a shock to anyone who is not in a fatal heart rhythm. AEDs are safe and specifically designed to be used by lay persons with no medical training.
What Can You Do Next?
Now that you have a clearer understanding of how big an issue SCA is and how many lives are impacted every day help prepare your community by learning CPR and acquiring an AED.
Together we can empower everyday people to do extraordinary things.
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