Overview•Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Defined

•Causes of SCA

•Cardiac Chain of Survival

•Survival Rates

•Realities

•Preparedness

Sudden Cardiac Arrest

•Sudden

•Unexpected

•Electrical Disturbance

•Usually Fatal

SCA vs. Heart Attack

Electrical Problem Pump Problem

Ventricular Fibrillation

Defibrillation

Causes of Death

Causes of SCA• Unexplained ~40%

• Toxins

• Electrolyte Imbalance

• Heart Disease ~13%

• Infection of Heart ~ 7%

• Enlarged Heart ~6%

• Miscellaneous ~14%• valve disease

• congenital

314/469

Figure 1Causes of sudden cardiac death in 314 autopsied cases (adapted from Winkel et al., Fig.

3).1 The miscellaneous category includes valvular heart disease (n = 8), dilated cardiomyopathy (n =

4), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (n = 2), and other congenital heart diseases (n = 31).

Cardiac Chain of Survival

Early Recognition

Early CPR

Early Defibrillation

Early Defibrillation

Early Advanced Care

Survival

Realities

Preparedness

Prevention

• Eat Healthy

• Get Active

• See Your Doctor for an Annual Physical

• Drop Those Pounds

• Reduce Stress

• Quit Smoking

• Take Prescribed Medications

Questions??