Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Sudden cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked. A heart attack may cause cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time. Many victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors.(AHA-SCA Fact Sheet 2010)

There are around 300,000 people of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year and only about 8% survive.

Wrong! About 5,900 children 18 years old and under suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year from all causes – including trauma, cardiovascular causes and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The incidence of out-of-hospital Sudden Cardiac Arrest in high school athletes ranges from .28 to 1 death per 100,000 high school athletes annually in the U.S. (AHA-SCA Fact Sheet 2010)

Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival. Yet less than one-third of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR. (AHA-SCA Fact Sheet 2010)

An AED is an Automated External Defibrillator, a portable electronic device. It is able to diagnose and treat life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. It treats these arrhythmias by application of an electrical shock which allows the heart to "restart". These devices are designed for anyone to use, even if you do not have much training. It is advised to take an official course to be able to use an AED to its maximum potential.

Many studies have shown that with the use of an AED within a few minutes of the sudden cardiac arrest event, there can be upwards of a 70%  survival rate in some cases.  The New England Journal of Medicine published an article in 2002 about the public use of an AED, Click here to view it, or Click here to download the article in PDF form.

No, the abdominal thrusts maneuver (formerly known as the Heimlich maneuver) is the preferred method to use when someone is choking.  This provides the best chance of removing the object. Lifting their arms does not help. Drinking water will not dislodge the object, and may even cause the person to aspirate on the drink. Patting them on their back often lodges the object even more, especially if the person does not know you are going to pat them on the back.

SIDS is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.  It occurs in infants 1 year or less in age.  Sudden death occurs to the infant with no medical explanation. There is no known cause of SIDS. Click Here to go to the American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute website to learn ways to prevent SIDS.