2. Sudden Cardiac
Arrest Association

3. Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Accounts for nearly 300,000 deaths a year in U.S.
Affects men and women equally
Leading cause of death in U.S. – more than breast cancer, stroke and HIV/AIDS combined
SCA not well known by the public
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
(Presenter says)
Sudden cardiac arrest, sometimes called SCA, is a big problem.
SCA is a leading cause of death in the United States.
About 335,000 people die each year of sudden cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association.1
It affects men and women equally.
To put that number in perspective, more people die from sudden cardiac arrest in the U.S. than breast cancer, stroke and HIV/AIDS combined. 2
Yet, SCA has not received much recognition in the media and is not well known by many people.
The good news is that most of these deaths are preventable.
The key to keeping more people alive is to identify people at risk and prevent death from sudden cardiac arrest.
Reference:
American Heart Association, Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2005 Update.
Zheng ZJ, Croft JB, Mensah GA. Sudden cardiac death in the United States, 1989 to Circulation. 2002;104(18):
100,000
50,000
AIDS
Breast
Cancer
Lung
Cancer
Stroke
SCA

4. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is Preventable
of SCD victims die before reaching the hospital2
of lethal ventricular arrhythmias were shown to be effectively terminated by ICDs3

5. Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association
Non-profit organization located in Washington, DC
50 chapters nationwide
Singularly focused on sudden cardiac arrest for survivors, patients, those at risk, health care providers and advocates
Founded in March 2005, an outgrowth of the National Center for Early Defibrillation (NCED) at the University of Pittsburgh
Co-chair of SCA Coalition, a 30 member group of industry and patient advocacy organizations developed to sponsor legislation and advocate for public awareness, research and access to life-saving therapies (
Active online community support group; Strong social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

6. SCAA Strategies… engage, educate & empower
Develop and grow a grassroots membership that will effectively eliminate unnecessary deaths from SCA
Increase awareness and understanding of SCA
Build and maintain effective SCAA Chapter involvement and leadership among physicians, EMTs, policymakers and general public
Collaborate with others to increase access to CPR, early defibrillation, ICDs and other therapies
Provide patient and survivor support, information and resources

7. SCAA Chapters Unite to STOP SCA

10. Get to Know Your EF Number
EF stands for Ejection Fraction, or the percentage of blood pumped out or “ejected” by your heart to your body each beat.
If you are a heart patient, you know your blood pressure and cholesterol—your EF number is just as important
(Presenter says)
EF stands for ejection fraction. It’s a number doctors use to evaluate how well your heart is pumping.
EF is the percentage of blood pumped out – or “ejected” – by your heart to your body during each beat.
Although you may be more familiar with other health related numbers, like blood pressure and cholesterol, your EF number is just as important to know for your heart’s health.

13. Why Do So Few People Survive Sudden Cardiac Arrest?
Out of 100 people who experience sudden cardiac arrest, only 5 survive
Treatment within 6 minutes is critical to survive
Average response time to an emergency call is 6-12 minutes
Access to external defibrillation can help more people survive
(Presenter says):
About 95% of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest die, because time is of the essence. A person must have their heart rhythm reset with a defibrillator within 6 minutes to survive.
For every 1 minute delay in getting the heart restarted with defibrillation, the chance of survival decreases by 10%.
There is an effective way to treat sudden cardiac arrest and keep more people alive.
It’s defibrillation. Defibrillation is resetting the heart rate with an electric shock.
We’ll talk more about defibrillation in a bit.

14. The Chain of Survival

15. Successful Resuscitation
↓ 7-10%
every minute
after collapse

20. of lethal ventricular arrhythmias were shown to be effectively terminated by ICDs3

21. SCAA Members are touched by the following Tools & Resources
Welcome Packet
Networking
Survivor/ICD Stories
Newsletter
Online Support Community
Educational Web site
Annual Meeting
Chapter Meetings and Activities