June 27, 2008–Just one in 10 U.S. student-athletes who suffer sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survives, a new study found.

SCA is the leading cause of death in young athletes and the leading overall cause of death in the United States. Approximately one SCA case occurs every three days in organized youth sports, according to background information with the study.

“Overall, there is pretty poor survival from sudden cardiac arrest in young people,” said study co-author Dr. Kimberly G. Harmon, of the University of Washington Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

But, there is a trend toward improved survival, Harmon said. “This is probably due to improved access to external automatic defibrillators (AEDs),” she said. “As we study this over the next several years, we are going to find that survival will improve as emergency plans and AEDs become more available and used.”

June 26, 2008­–PITTSBURGH, PA–Reports indicate that NBC journalist Tim Russert died from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) resulting from a heart attack. Russert’s sudden death may help save other lives by raising awareness about the critical importance of calling 911, giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and using an automated external defibrillator (AED) immediately when SCA strikes.

“Perhaps Tim’s final gift to the nation was to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and the simple actions anyone can take to save a life,” said Bobby V. Khan, MD, PhD, Board Chairman of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation and Assistant Professor of Medicine/Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

About 1200 national and international CPR instructors, EMS providers and community champions attended the Emergency Cardiac Care Update (ECCU) in Las Vegas June 13-15th. We are thrilled to be hosting ECCU in Las Vegas, highlighting the latest science and education in CPR and AED use in a community that has led the nation in this approach, said Tom Aufderheide, MD, President of the Citizen CPR Foundation, which conducts the conference every two years. The survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in Las Vegas casinos is among the highest in the nation, thanks to prompt use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by security guards.

The conference opened with a welcome from Honorable Oscar Goodman, Mayor of Las Vegas, followed by a keynote address by Mickey Eisenberg, MD, PhD, and Tom Rea, MD, MPH, of Seattle/King County: Improving the Odds of Cardiac Arrest Survival—Formula for Success.

Roman Matlaga - Winner of the SCA Foundation’s People Saving People™ Award

June 15, 2008–Las Vegas, NV–Roman Matlaga was recognized on Sunday, June 15—Father’s Day—as the winner of the SCA Foundation’s People Saving People™ Award during the Citizen CPR Foundation’s biennial conference, the Emergency Cardiac Care Update, in Las Vegas.

Roman Matlaga - Winner of the SCA Foundation’s People Saving People™ Award

The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation presented its inaugural People Saving People™ (PSP) Award on June 15 in Las Vegas. The annual award program honors ‘ordinary’ people with extraordinary heroic spirits, who help save the lives of victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The Foundation proudly recognized Roman Matlaga, of Honesdale, PA, whose actions made the difference between life and death for fellow basketball player David Belkin, of Bethesda, MD, in February 2007. The PSP award was presented during the Citizen CPR Foundation’s biennial conference, Emergency Cardiac Care Update. 

June 14, 2008­–PITTSBURGH–We at the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation express our heartfelt sympathy to the family of Tim Russert, who died suddenly yesterday afternoon in the NBC studios. Tim could not be resuscitated despite the fact than an intern provided cardiopulmonary resusciation (CPR) and D.C. EMS arrived quickly and treated Russert with a defibrillator.

The tragedy of this profound loss to the Russert family and his extensive network of friends and colleagues in journalism and politics would be all the more tragic if it turns out that NBC did not have an automated external defibrillator (AED) on site--or even worse had one, but somehow neglected to find or use it.

On the other hand, Tim’s death may not have been preventable, given his extensive underlying coronary artery disease.