Posted by SCAFoundation on 05/05/2015

On April 11, a bystander and two police officers saved the life of a man who had been walking in South Park (Pittsburgh, PA) when he suddenly collapsed in cardiac arrest. On April 22, Pittsburgh police officers and paramedics saved the life of a fellow officer who suffered cardiac arrest in the West End station.

Why did they survive sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), when so few victims do?

The answer is simple: Bystanders started CPR and used defibrillators immediately.

Unfortunately, SCA is a common occurrence in Pittsburgh and across the nation. In fact, it affects about 1,000 people of all ages each day in the U.S.

While on average, only 10 percent of victims survive, when people at the scene of the emergency intervene quickly by giving CPR and using automated external defibrillators (AEDs), survival rates increase to 40 percent.

Help raise awareness about SCA and the importance of knowing how to save a life.

Join or support the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation team at the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community on May 16. Stop by our booth (Booth #62) for CPR-AED demonstrations and to meet local survivors and rescuers.

For more information, email info [at] sca-aware.org or visit facebook.com/youcansavealife.

-Mary Newman

The writer is president of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation (sca-aware.org).

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SOURCE: Pittsburgh Tribune Review

To register for the SCA Foundation team as a walker, virtual participant or donor, click here.

 

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