Archive - May 2010

ATLANTA, GA--The odds of surviving cardiac arrest may depend
on which part of town you call home and whether anyone in the neighborhood
comes to your rescue by attempting to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation
(CPR), according to a first-of-its-kind study in the June issue of the Annals
of Internal Medicine.

Phoenix, AZ – May 25, 2010 – The
University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, Arizona Department of Health
Services SHARE Program, and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation invite sudden
cardiac arrest survivors, their families and health activists* to join them at
the launch of the National SCA Survivor Network™ Arizona Affiliate, taking
place on June 1 in Phoenix. Guests are invited to meet other survivors, find
fellowship and support, learn from the experts, and become part of a national
movement to raise public awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and save other
lives.

What: National SCA Survivor
Network™ Arizona Affiliate Launch Luncheon
When: Tuesday, June 1, 2010,
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Measure in Memory of Andrew Helgeson, Who Was High School Senior When He Died from SCA on May 25, 2005

Governor Martin O’Malley proclaimed May 25, 2010 Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Awareness Day in Maryland in memory of Andrew Helgeson, who died from
sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) five years ago at age 18.
 
Described
as "the epitome of health," R. Andrew Helgeson was only days from
graduating from Mont Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD, and was to
pick up the school's Scholar/Athlete Award the day he died. Andrew had
a full college academic scholarship and was looking forward to playing
starting lacrosse goalie at Fairleigh Dickinson University.  The first
sign that something was wrong was his death.
 

Governor Martin O’Malley proclaimed May 25, 2010 Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Day in Maryland in memory of Andrew Helgeson who died from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) five years ago at age 18.
 
Described as "the epitome of health," R. Andrew Helgeson was only days from graduating from Mont Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD, and was to pick up the school's Scholar/Athlete Award the day he died. Andrew had a full college academic scholarship and was looking forward to playing starting lacrosse goalie at Fairleigh Dickinson University.  The first sign that something was wrong was his death.
 
"It is very important to broaden the awareness that SCA kills youth," said Rita and Richard Helgeson, Andrew's parents. "There should be cardiac screening for children, and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) should be placed throughout the community. Please take an AED and CPR course. SCA can strike anyone of any age at any time."
 

Bobby Khan, MD, PhD Represents Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation on Panel

Sudden cardiac arrest accounts for approximately 350,000
deaths in the United States annually; while many of those affected have a
history of cardiac disease, countless others have no cardiac history and are
unaware of any risk factors.  While
there are isolated efforts to reduce the incidence of and mortality from sudden
cardiac arrest, there are no formal, evidence-based guidelines or standards
that are uniformly recognized and employed.  Realizing the potential for significant improvement in the
prevention and treatment of sudden cardiac arrest, The Joint Commission
convened a Stakeholder Panel in April 2009.  The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation participated in this
panel.

The first responders and paramedics at the Minnesota Twins' Target Field stadium personify the theme of this year's EMS Week: "Anytime. Anywhere. We'll Be There." On April 21st, Pat Hall suffered a cardiac arrest at a Twins baseball game at Target Field. Volunteer paramedics, first responders, nurses, and doctors performed CPR and got her to a hospital, using a defibrillator during transport. The SCA survivor appeared at the Hennepin County Medical Center this past Wednesday along with her husband to thank everyone who helped save her life.  

SOURCE: ZOLL Medical

Bill Kushubar, Harrisburg, PA –54 at time of event (2009)

Bill says he’s not much of a golfer, in fact he doesn’t play anymore. It’s just isn’t the same game for him. He also doesn’t eat breakfast sausages anymore, the last ones were especially cooked on the grill that Sunday morning. But he does stay in touch with his golfing buddies. Especially Charlie.

Charlie Sourbeer had learnt CPR fifteen years earlier at work. He remembered how to do it, and Bill can testify to that fact.
“On the fifteenth hole I fell over. My friends thought I was kidding because I hit a bad shot! But then [he] saw I was turning purple. He [Charlie] started CPR, including mouth to mouth,” Bill said with admiration.

Denver, Colo. – The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation announced at Heart Rhythm 2010, the Heart Rhythm Society's 31st Annual Scientific Sessions, that it will launch the first virtual affiliate of its National Survivor Network™ on June 1 in Phoenix, Arizona. The affiliate will help to localize global awareness efforts and mobilize advocates to extend the Foundation’s mission.

"Having a Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation affiliate in Arizona will be a tremendous addition to the Save Hearts in Arizona Registry & Education (SHARE) Program,” said Bentley J. Bobrow, Medical Director, Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of EMS and Trauma System. “It will offer substantial resources and important information to our cardiac arrest survivors."

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) will
kick off the 37th annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week starting May
16th with events in communities across the nation, as well as several national
events organized around the theme, "Anytime. Anywhere. We'll be
there." 

EMS providers include paramedics, emergency medical
technicians, first responders, fire fighters and police, some paid, some
volunteer. National EMS Week will feature hundreds of grassroots activities
coast-to-coast, including safety demonstrations, fire truck and ambulance
tours, blood pressure screenings and educational programs. 

IBystander CPR is Key

Ninety percent of U.S. emergency physicians believe that resuscitation practices aren’t very effective and support a number of strategies designed to improve resuscitation for people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest, according to a survey released Friday by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

Of the 1,056 who responded to the State of Resuscitation survey, 88 percent said bystander CPR intervention is an important factor in boosting survival, along with getting patients to doctors more quickly (77 percent), better data collection and sharing (73 percent), automated technologies (66 percent), and real-time feedback on chest compressions (65 percent).