The following letter from the SCA Foundation was published in The New York Times, Tuesday, July 1, 2008.

To the Editor:

Even though sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a preventable and treatable condition, most victims die because they do not receive effective help quickly enough. To survive SCA, it is critical for the victim to receive immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and treatment with a defibrillator within five minutes. Since even the best EMS responders cannot always get to the victim in time (typical EMS response times are seven to eight minutes after receipt of the 9-1-1 call), survival generally depends on the help of bystanders who witness the victim’s sudden death and intervene without hesitation.

To improve SCA survival rates, it is vital for potential bystanders to be aware that SCA is a public health crisis and that survival from SCA depends largely on bystander intervention. Lifesaving bystander actions include calling 9-1-1, giving CPR, and using an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) happens to kids as well as adults. A simple device known as an automated external defibrillator (AED) can save lives, but only if it’s in the right place at the right time

We see it in the news nearly every day. A young student, frequently an athlete, dies suddenly from cardiac arrest. Soon after, the school system develops an AED program in memory of the student.

Why wait for a tragedy? Do schools in your community have AEDs? If they don’t the time to get them is now.

It’s not just the headlines about sudden death in young people that are causing an increased interest in school CPR-AED programs. People are beginning to recognize that sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among adults in the United States—and it can also affect children and adolescents. And they’re starting to understand that there is a treatment for it: the quick combination of CPR and defibrillation.

Are you someone who beat the odds and survived sudden cardiac arrest? Would you like to help other victims survive? Join the SCA Survivor Registry™, the nation’s first online registry for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors.

By joining the registry you can find others who have been through similar life-changing events, share their experiences, and help one another in the healing process.

In beating the odds, a survivor has already joined a special and unique group of people. Their stories are eerily similar—a savior who performed CPR, a layperson or professional with a defibrillator, and an ICD implanted for life.

You will find they are eager to meet and talk with you, since you have become one of the family.