What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

  • Not a heart attack or myocardial infarction
  • Occurs suddenly and often without warning
  • An electrical malfunction which causes the bottom chambers of the heart to beat dangerously fast (ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation) and disrupts the pumping ability of the heart
  • The heart cannot pump blood to the brain, lungs and other organs of the body
  • The person loses consciousness and has no pulse
  • Death occurs within minutes if not treated immediately

heart-attack-vs-cardiac-arrest

Without bystander assistance in the form of CPR and Automated External Defibrillator use victims do not survive

Sudden Cardiac Arrest claims an estimated 325,000 lives each year in the United States, more than breast cancer, prostate cancer, hand guns, automobile accidents and household fires combined.  One young person dies every three days from Sudden Cardiac Arrest