Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death Ali Shakir, MD Medical Director, Electrophysiology Services Henry Ford Macomb Hospital September 17th, 2011

Objectives 1. What is Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD)? 2. Background 3. Heart Function 4. AED

Normal Heart Beat

Sudden Cardiac Death Definition The term sudden cardiac death refers to natural death from cardiac causes, heralded by abrupt loss of consciousness within one hour of the onset of acute symptoms A sudden, unexpected loss of heart function. The term "death" is somewhat misleading because some people survive Typically resulting from a sudden change in the rhythm of the heart

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Facts SCA claims an estimated 325,000 lives each year 1,000 lives every day, one life every two minutes SCA accounts for half of all cardiac-related deaths Over half of SCA victims have no prior symptoms Survival requires emergency medical intervention and defibrillation within the first few minutes following arrest The survival rate is as high as 90 percent if treatment is initiated within the first few minutes following arrest 1 Heart Rhythm Society. “Sudden Cardiac Arrest Facts” HRS Online Feb 2009

Epidemiology More people die from sudden cardiac arrest than from AIDS, breast cancer, and lung cancer combined 1 1 Heart Rhythm Society. “Sudden Cardiac Arrest Facts” HRS Online Feb 2009

Know Your Ejection Fraction The ejection fraction is an estimate of the amount of blood pumped out of the heart chambers every beat Normal is > 55% Increased risk for sudden cardiac death are those with ejection fraction < 35%

A man was riding his Harley along a Michigan highway when suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, God said, 'Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish.' The biker pulled over and said, 'Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can Ride over anytime I want.

God said, 'That request is materialistic, think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking; the supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that could possibly help mankind.' The biker thought about it for a long time.

Finally, he said, 'Okay, I wish that I, and all men, could understand our wives; I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says 'nothing's wrong', and how I can make a woman truly happy.

And God replied, 'You want two lanes or four lanes on that bridge?'

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) AED is a portable electronic device which automatically diagnoses cardiac arrhythmias and treats through defibrillation (shock to the heart)

Time is Critical For every minute that a person in cardiac arrest goes without being resuscitated, the chance of survival decreases by 7 percent per minute After/while calling 911, AED can provide life saving capabilities

AED Designed to be used by non health care professionals Majority of units have spoken prompts to instruct the user Can be found in public areas Often brightly colored and found near entrance

AED AED will instruct the user to connect the pads to the bare chest of the patient After connected, everyone should avoid touching the patient as this can interfere with detection of the heart rhythm If dangerous rhythm is found, it will automatically deliver a shock

Future Directions Teach Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support Classes for those who are interested Increase availability of AEDs in public places Educate more individuals regarding use of

CONCLUSIONS Know your ejection fraction (Heart Function) Know where AEDs are located and understand basic function Great tool for saving lives

Questions?