The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
Save the Date: Thursday, October 3
PITTSBURGH, PA--Mark your calendar for Thursday, October 3rd to make a gift to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation on the 2013 Day of Giving. On that day, every gift to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, up to $1,000, will be matched by The Pittsburgh Foundation. Here’s what to do on October 3: Go to http://www.pittsburghgives.org. Click on… Read More
Business Traveler Perseveres to Save Young Man’s Life at Philadelphia Airport
Case illustrates the need for immediate bystander action when sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the critical importance of CPR, and the need for improved public access to defibrillators PITTSBURGH--Sue Hostler arrived at the Philadelphia International Airport on August 22 to catch a flight home to Pittsburgh, PA. A frequent business traveler, she knew… Read More
Majority of Patients Who Qualify for ICDs Do Not Receive Them
A new study of patients who died of sudden cardiac arrest, a usually fatal condition that causes the heart to stop beating, shows the majority who qualified to receive potentially lifesaving treatment did not receive it. Researchers led by Sumeet Chugh, MD, associate director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, examined medical records of 2,… Read More
FDA Finalizes New System to Identify Medical Devices
Rule designed to help improve patient safety Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a final rule for the unique device identification system (UDI) that, once implemented, will provide a consistent way to identify medical devices. The UDI system has the potential to improve the quality of information in medical device adverse… Read More
ECCU 2014 Survivor Track - Call for Presentations Now Open
The ECCU (Emergency Cardiovascular Care Update) 2014 conference is now accepting presentations and there are special sessions for survivors, families and rescuers. Come share your story, honor your rescuers and meet the scientists and community champions who are all gathering at ECCU, June 3-6, 2014 in Las Vegas. ECCU is a biennial conference… Read More
Small Study: MRIs Okay with Pacemakers and Defibrillators
VANCOUVER, B.C. – When done safely, MRI imaging has an important role to play in patients with pacemakers and implanted cardioverter defibrillators, according to a study of 32 patients who underwent the procedure without complications at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. "It looks like this is safe in the right situation," based on the… Read More
"Smoker's Paradox" Seen in Cardiac Arrest Data
Among patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia after a cardiac arrest,smokers had better outcomes than nonsmokers, a single-center study showed. Half of smokers survived to hospital discharge with a good neurological outcome compared with only 28% of nonsmokers (P=0.003), according to Jeremy Pollock, MD, of Vanderbilt University in Nashville… Read More
Study: AEDs Inaccessible in Public Locations During "Off Hours"
GENTOFTE, DENMARK--Despite widespread placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in one European city, more than half of all cardiac arrests occurred during hours when access to the lifesaving devices is not possible, according to the results of a new study [1]. In Copenhagen, Denmark, nearly every individual who collapsed from cardiac… Read More
Golf Legend Bernard Gallacher Saved By Use of Hotel's AED
Golf legend Bernard Gallacher says he owes his life to a hotel having its own heart defibrillator. The ex-Ryder Cup captain had (sudden cardiac arrest) as he was about to give an after-dinner speech there. Bernard, 64, also thanked the "incredible" medics who treated him, including three nurses who were in the room when he collapsed. He also… Read More