Use of AED Improves Survival Rates

Rosemont, IL (Vocus/PRWEB )--Utilizing an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) as part of a comprehensive emergency action plan (EAP) at an athletic event can mean the difference between life and death for an athlete or spectator experiencing Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) , confirms a study published in the inaugural edition of Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach.

ATLANTA -- Bernardo Soto, 11, is back in class after suffering sudden cardiac arrest in a school hallway.

His assistant principal at Chestnut Log Middle School in Douglas County helped save his life with quick thinking, good training and the right equipment.

“This was a divine moment and divine timing,”said Assistant Principal Greg Williams. “I feel great every time I see him. It was a meant-to-be moment.”

Soto, a sixth-grader, had no idea his heart was in trouble until he collapsed on September 26 on his way to first period.

“Do you remember waking up and feeling funny that day?” 11Alive’s Jennifer Leslie asked Soto.

“Yes,” he replied.

It turned out he was suffering from sudden cardiac arrest, which is usually deadly.

“I had not doubt we were gonna get Bernardo through this,” Williams said. “No doubt.”

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It took five mighty shocks to get Cynthia Crawford's heart to start beating again after she collapsed at Ochsner Clinic a few weeks ago. A dramatic rescue, to be sure, yet it was routine care she could have had at any hospital. What came next, though, was not. As she lay unconscious, barely clinging to life, doctors placed her in an inflatable cocoon-like pool that sprayed her naked body with hundreds of icy cold jets of water, plunging her into hypothermia.

"Like jumping in the North Sea," said the cardiologist leading her care, Dr. Paul McMullan.

Days later, Crawford was recovering without the brain damage she might have suffered.

Don't Hold Off Chest Compressions if Cardiac Patient Is Gasping

People in cardiac arrest need CPR -- even if they're gasping for air.

Bystanders, and even some doctors, sometimes hold off giving CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) if a collapsed cardiac patient is still struggling to breathe. That could be a big mistake.

Cardiac arrest patients are more than five times more likely to survive if bystanders attempt resuscitation while the patient is still gasping, say Bentley J. Bobrow, MD, director of Arizona emergency medical services, and colleagues.

"Gasping is most frequent soon after collapse, and decreases with time," they note. "Bystander resuscitation efforts markedly improve survival in patients who are gasping from cardiac arrest."

Pittsburgh, PA–Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the nation’s leading cause of death and tragically claimed the life of NBC journalist Tim Russert and thousands of others last summer. The National Press Club book fair this week features the SCA Foundation and Jeremy Whitehead, whose story, “A Heart Too Good to Die - A Shocking Story of Sudden Cardiac Arrest,” depicts his wife Carolyn’s triumph over near death. Whitehead directs the Foundation’s national SCA Survivor Registry. “Challenging Sudden Death: A Community Guide to Help Save Lives,” co-authored by Mary Newman, SCA Foundation president, and Jim Christenson, MD, also will be highlighted. The SCA Foundation will also be recognized at the NPC Annual Awards Dinner.

Physicians Rank Increased Bystander CPR, Faster Patient-to-Doctor Time, Data Collection and Technology as Critical Improvement Areas in Resuscitation

Washington, D.C. – A new State of Resuscitation survey released today by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) finds an overwhelming majority (90 percent) of the emergency physicians surveyed believe that resuscitation practices in the United States are not very effective. Emergency physicians cite increased bystander CPR, faster patient-to-doctor time, improved data collection and sharing, and greater use of technology as critical to improving resuscitation for victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).