The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
SCA Survivors: A Growing Tribe
Young SCA Survivors From left, Brett Taylor of Texas, Paula Opheim of Indiana, Catherine Silva of California, and James McCooey of New York In the time it takes you to read this section, several Americans will die from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Most likely, dropping dead will be the first indication of a serious heart condition. Friends and… Read More
A Heart Too Good to Die
Carolyn Whitehead –Norwich, CT – 47 at the time of the event (October, 2002) The nation’s #1 serial killer strikes every few minutes, and whilst not gruesome, the result is frightening carnage. Carolyn Whitehead was the lucky one in 20 who did not die. There was nothing wrong with Carolyn’s heart, then or now, however she… Read More
Shock Number Five Kept Him Alive
Dick Bylund – St. Louis, MO – 50 at the time of the event (1993) Sometimes it’s better to break the rules. If a young paramedic in Freemont, CA, had followed procedures to the letter, Dick Bylund wouldn’t be alive today. Dick was attending his son’s football game at Mission High School in Freemont when he collapsed, a victim of sudden cardiac… Read More
What About “Going Toward the Light”?
A.J. Caliendo – Pittsburgh, PA – 49 at the time of the event (June 2, 1999) A.J. Caliendo’s two biggest complaints about his sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) episode are that he put in a lot of hard hours rehearsing his first ever community theater play only to be sidelined after one performance, and that he feels he was cheated out of that long… Read More
Police Officer Saves Funeral Worker
Paul Beauregard – Plainstown, NH – 69 at the time of the event (May 2004) The story of Paul Beauregard’s sudden cardiac arrest could almost qualify as a macabre Halloween tale. Paul was working part time for a Plainstown, NH funeral director. He was out on a job and had just finished placing the body in a hearse when he walked back to the curb… Read More
Ryan Shay and SCA: The Death of a Young Track Star
March 18, 2008–NEW YORK–Joe Shay received official word Tuesday what caused his son’s sudden death Nov. 3 at the U.S. Olympic marathon trails. But four months of testing on Ryan Shay’s heart tissue samples, by some of the nation’s leading cardiology forensic experts and geneticists, left unanswered the biggest question: Why?… Read More
Minimally Interrupted Cardiac Resuscitation Triples Rate of Survival
March 13, 2008–NEW YORK–A new approach to cardiac resuscitation designed to maintain nearly constant chest compressions triples the rate of survival of "out-of-hospital" cardiac arrest, study findings suggest. "Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a major public health problem and a leading cause of death," note the study investigators… Read More
Move Over Seattle…Here Comes Anchorage Alaskan City Achieves 40% Save Rate
February 25, 2008–ANCHORAGE–How does the Anchorage Fire Department (AFD) compare to other cities in the delivery of emergency medical services? If you had a cardiac arrest and collapsed in Anchorage what chance would you have to survive? A 2003 USA Today article found disparities in emergency medical care across the nation and said cities that… Read More
Patients More Likely to Survive SCA on Weekdays
February 21, 2008–ScienceDaily–Patients who have an in-hospital cardiac arrest at night or on the weekend have a substantially lower rate of survival to discharge than hospitalized patients who experience a cardiac arrest during day/evening times on weekdays, according to a new study. The detection and treatment of cardiac arrests… Read More