The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care
The 2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care were published on October 22, 2025. The purpose of the guidelines is to provide best practice recommendations in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. These guidelines are an update to the recommendations… Read More
The Weight of Risk: Epidemiological Trends in Cardiac Arrest Mortality Among Obese Adults in the United States
A Circulation Research abstract found that from 1999 to 2023, cardiac arrest-related mortality among obese U.S.adults increased substantially, rising from 11.3 to 32.5 deaths per million. Men, older adults, Non-Hispanic Blacks, residents of rural areas and the West experienced the highest mortality rates. The study highlights demographic and… Read More
October is SCA Awareness Month!
October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month! The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation (SCAF) is proud to announce the launch of its inaugural Ready to Respond: Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Training Week, taking place October 12–18, 2025, during National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month. This annual campaign, observed the second full week of… Read More
Neurological outcomes after patients suffer cardiac arrest at home are similar between low-and high-income areas in Vienna
A recent study presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress found that neurological recovery after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) at home is similar between patients living in low- and high-income neighborhoods in Vienna, Austria. The study analyzed data from 676 adult patients treated between January 2020 and December 2022,… Read More
Identifying High‐Risk Cardiac Arrest Neighborhoods Using Social Vulnerability Index and Geospatial Analysis
This geospatial analysis examined neighborhoods in Birmingham, Alabama, to identify areas with elevated risks of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The study focused on the relationship between social determinants of health and both OHCA incidence and the rates of bystander interventions such as CPR and AED use. The study found that… Read More
Effect of Cardiac Arrest Center Protocol Implementation on Survival After Nontraumatic Out‐of‐Hospital Cardiac Arrest
The study evaluated whether introducing a Cardiac Arrest Center (CAC) protocol improved outcomes for patients experiencing nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The study analyzed 790 OHCA patients admitted between January 2018 and May 2023. The study compared 432 patients (54.7%) managed before to 358 patients (45.3%) after full CAC… Read More
Knowing When to Use an AED
Sudden cardiac arrest is a life-threatening condition that can strike anyone, anywhere, at any time. When it occurs, every second counts, making it crucial to initiate prompt and effective life-saving measures. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) combined with the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) can significantly increase the… Read More
Trends in Sudden Cardiac Death Related Mortality in Adults in the United States: A CDC WONDER Database Analysis
Sudden cardiac death has long been one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Encouragingly, the number of deaths steadily declined for almost two decades, thanks to advances in emergency medical response, greater awareness of heart disease and prevention strategies. However, a new analysis of the CDC WONDER database by Bhagwan et… Read More
Thinking of Becoming a CPR Instructor? Here are 3 Things to Consider.
If you have a passion for helping others and a desire to make a lasting difference, becoming a CPR Instructor could be one of the most rewarding steps in your career or volunteer journey. In this role, you are sharing knowledge and empowering others with the skills and confidence to respond in an emergency. The person you train today could be the… Read More