The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.

Use of AEDs in the Home Yields High Survival Rates

Most cases (80%) of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) occur in the home. A new suggests that deployment of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in homes may be an important additional strategy for SCA treatment. Using a prospectively-designed post-market study, researchers identified 25 cases in which a privately owned AED was used to treat SCA,… Read More

Can "Heel CPR" Help?

LOS ANGELES--Is “Heel CPR” a viable alternative to “Hands-Only CPR” for lone rescuers, who may become fatigued and unable to apply adequate force while waiting for EMS to arrive? Fernando Perez, MD, and Robert H. Trenkamp, Jr., EMT-P, from “Saving Lives in Chatham County explored this question and presented their research earlier this month at the… Read More

Novel Low Energy ICD to be Studied

A novel electrotherapy greatly reduces the energy needed to shock a heart back into rhythm, potentially making ICDs more acceptable to patients. Implantable defibrillators currently on the market apply between 600 and 900 volts to the heart, almost 10 times the… Read More

ICD Battery Alarms Us All

You may have noticed we posted an article (linked to the original Reuters piece) concerning a technology breakthrough that could have major impact on future need for ICD and pacemaker batteries. Now we have another story to tell on the subject. What does an ICD battery alarm sound like? Alarm you say, what alarm? Ah, if you have an ICD, then… Read More

Sudden Cardiac Death Risk May Be a Family Matter

Relatives of young sudden cardiac death victims appear to have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease than the general population, a Danish study showed. During up to 11 years of follow-up, there were 292 incident cases of cardiovascular disease in a cohort of relatives, higher than the 219 expected in the background population (standardized… Read More

Latest Technology for ICDs & Pacemakers - An Energy-Harvesting Device That Needs No Battery

University of Michigan researchers have found a way to avoid the need to replace an ICD or pacemaker due to battery expiration. Their research has identified a way to use your own beating heart to power your device. Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor tested an energy-harvesting device that runs on… Read More

Study: Women Do Not Fare As Well As Men with ICDs

Women are more likely than men to experience complications and to die within six months of getting an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, according to new research that looked at nearly 39,000 patients. "Women, when they come for treatment, are much sicker in general," said study author Dr. Andrea Russo, a cardiologist at Cooper Medical… Read More

People More Likely to Die of Heart Related Issues in Winter

No matter what climate you live in, you're more likely to die of heart-related issues in the winter, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012. "This was surprising because climate was thought to be the primary determinant of seasonal variation in death rates," said Bryan Schwartz, M.D., lead… Read More

Most Sudden Cardiac Deaths in Young People Do Not Occur During Sports

Toronto, ON -- About three-quarters of sudden cardiac deaths in people under age 40 occur in the home—not in the sports arena or on the playing field—according to a study presented here at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2012. Researchers investigated the incidence of sudden cardiac death in two- to 40-year-olds living in Ontario in 2008.… Read More

ICDs Can Reduce Risk of Death in Youth with HCM

LOS ANGELES -- A multicenter registry has demonstrated that the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) can combat sudden cardiac death in high-risk pediatric patients suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The study was presented Nov. 5 at the 2012 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA) in Los Angeles… Read More