What is Sudden Cardiac Death?
Sudden cardiac death (SCD), also called sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), is a term used to describe a situation in which the heart stops working abruptly and without warning, so no blood can be pumped to the rest of the body.
Learn MoreWhat is Sudden Cardiac Death?
Sudden cardiac death (SCD), also called sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), is a term used to describe a situation in which the heart stops working abruptly and without warning, so no blood can be pumped to the rest of the body.
Learn MoreSCD is NOT a heart attack.
A heart attack occurs when a blockage in a blood vessel interrupts the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart, causing heart muscle to die. Sudden cardiac death can occur during a heart attack, but most heart attacks do not result in sudden cardiac death.
Sudden cardiac death occurs when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions, causing the heart’s pumping function to stop. Without the blood being pumped around, the central nervous system ceases to function and the person collapses in a comatose state. The immediate treatment need is to circulate the blood to the different organ systems, including the brain, so long-term damage is avoided or minimized. This is why chest compressions are so vital. The sooner chest compressions are started, the quicker blood flow can be resumed and life preserved.
Each day in the United States, more than 930 lives are lost to SCD.
SCD is the leading cause of natural deaths in the United States, taking more than 335,000 lives each year—more than are lost to lung cancer and breast cancer combined.
Yet, because there are few warning signs or symptoms to identify people at risk, and since SCD is by definition fatal, there are few survivors to spread the word about this devastating killer.
Until SCD hits close to home, most people usually are unaware of its prevalence and the danger that it poses, even to young, seemingly healthy people. It is responsible for more than half of all heart disease deaths in this country. While overall death rates for heart disease are decreasing, those from sudden cardiac death continue to increase.
The Importance of CPR & AEDs
Death can occur within 10 minutes unless CPR is administered and an emergency shock is delivered to the heart with a defibrillator to restore its normal rhythm.
Survival is directly linked to the amount of time between the onset of sudden cardiac arrest and defibrillation. A victim’s chances of survival are reduced by 7 – 10% with every minute of delay until defibrillation. The ventricular fibrillation (VF) sudden cardiac arrest survival rate is only 2 – 5% if defibrillation is provided more than twelve minutes after collapse.
It is estimated that about 95% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital.
The Gootter-Jensen Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives by defeating sudden cardiac death (SCD) through increased awareness, education, scientific research, and the distribution of AEDs.
