The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
Making Sudden Cardiac Arrest a National Health Priority
National Medical Association Issues White Paper on Sudden Cardiac Arrest August 7, 2008–ATLANTA–To help change the prevention and treatment paradigm for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the National Medical Association (NMA) released a white paper during their 2008 Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly that outlines directives for elevating SCA… Read More
AED Investment for Small Company Pays Off
August 6, 2008¬–TOLEDO–Three years ago, Thermadyn, a company with 30 employees in Sylvania, Ohio, invested in an automated external defibrillator (AED). The investment paid off two months ago, when Wayne Martin, CFO, used it to save the life of Roy Rosler, a 72-year-old shipping supervisor. Rosler later said he had no idea that he… Read More
If There's No Defibrillator, Pull Out a Knife?
Stan Wisniewski, Chicago, IL – 24 at time of event (1954) When Stan collapsed onto on the darkened radiology lab floor, cardiology was not yet mainstream, and defibrillators were mains powered. Drugs were revolutionizing medicine and antibiotics were used liberally, but surgery was king. And Stan is still here today because of those three… Read More
Without CPR, They Die - (Part 2 of our Hands-Only CPR Series)
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) involves mimicking two important organs, both of which are required to sustain life. The answer lies in the very term cardiopulmonary. Cardio is derived from the Greek kardia meaning heart or hollow vessel, and pulmonary from the Latin pulmonarius (of the lungs). Thus CPR quite literally means resuscitation… Read More
Introducing the SCA Foundation Chairman
Bobby V. Khan, MD, PhD, has been elected the new chairman of the Foundation Board of Directors, taking the reins from Paul Pendergast, of Hartford, CT, who served as chairman in 2007, and Michael Sayre, MD, of Columbus, OH, who served as founding chairman in 2006. Born and raised in Nashville TN, Dr. Khan is currently Assistant Professor of… Read More
SCA Foundation Announces National SCA Awareness Campaign for Schools
The SCA Foundation announced the You Can Save a LifeTM National SCA Awareness Campaign for Schools and hosted a meeting with program partners during the Emergency Cardiac Care Update (ECCU) in June. The immediate goals of the campaign are to raise awareness about the prevention and treatment of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and motivate stakeholders… Read More
Tim Russert's Enduring Legacy...
When a high profile figure does something unusual, we all seem to hear about it. When they leave us we wonder why, and start to question our own vulnerabilities. On June 13, 2008, a not so unusual event occurred at the NBC studios in Washington DC. You may be surprised to learn that the same event occurs hundreds of time per day, and yet it seems… Read More
Kelsey Grammer Survives SCA
July 24, 2008–LOS ANGELES–Television star Kelsey Grammer, best known from “Cheers” and his sitcom “Frasier,” nearly died after suffering sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) last month, he told U.S. showbiz news program “Entertainment Tonight.” Grammer, 53, felt chest pains while paddle-boarding with his wife in Hawaii, where they have a second home, and… Read More
A Gallon of Milk, An Angel and a Defibrillator is All One Needs...
Mary Jo Cipollini, Poughkeepsie, NY – 36 at time of event (2002) A trip to the supermarket can change your life forever. Mary Jo had taken her two-year-old Tommy, and her parents, grocery shopping one morning in early October. At the store, she received a call from the nurse at her six-year-old daughter’s school, asking Mary Jo to pick Ally up… Read More