The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
Using Laughter to Raise Awareness
Tracey Conway – Seattle, WA – 38 at the time of the event (January 21, 1995) It is not unusual for celebrities who suffer a health crisis to become an advocate to promote the awareness, research and management of that disease or condition. Lance Armstrong uses his fame as a cyclist to help find a cure for the cancer that devastated him a decade… Read More
AHA Recommends Hands-Only CPR for Bystanders
April 1, 2008–DALLAS–Chest compressions alone, or Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), can save lives and can be used to help an adult who suddenly collapses, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement. View the Science Advisory here The statement, from the association’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC)… Read More
AEDs and CPR Are Equally Helpful for SCA in the Home
Study Finds AEDs Underused at Home April 1, 2008–CHICAGO–The first study to explore the use of automated external defibrillator (AEDs) in the home has found that although the safe and easy-to-use devices are effective for certain types of cardiac arrest, they were underused. The Home Automated External Defibrillator Trial (HAT), a randomized… Read More
Till Death Due Us Part..And Then Some
Survivor to Celebrate 85th Birthday March 17th On January 16, 2007, my 84-year-old husband, Jerome Liebowitz, who had suffered a massive heart attack and six by-pass surgery in 2000, plus an attack of congestive heart failure in 2001, went into sudden cardiac arrest as we were sitting in our kitchen talking. I could see his body shudder and his… Read More
Rebound
Mike Papale – Wallingsford, CT – 17 at the time of the event (August 24, 2006) I have no recollection of the day that changed my life forever. I’ll only be able to tell the stories that I’ve heard. People have told me to play the Lotto because there was a one in a million chance that I would survive. Although I’ve had many experiences that… Read More
Still in the Game
David Belkin – Bethesda, MD – 65 at the time of the event (February 18, 2007) I am a recent survivor of SCA (sudden cardiac arrest). Interestingly enough, I just came from my first visit with my electrophysiologist and when I referred to SCA, he looked puzzled. I said it referred to sudden cardiac arrest. He said he knew it as SCD or sudden… Read More
The Anniversary of a Loved One's Death Can Trigger Sudden Death
March 29, 2008–CHICAGO, Il–If the date of a loved one’s passing is approaching, beware. The anniversary of the death of a close family member, especially a mother or father, is a significant trigger for Sudden Death (SD), especially in men, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology’s 57th Annual Scientific… Read More
Too Soon to Cash in the Chips
Karen Etheridge, Brandon, MS – 40 at the time of the incident (September 29, 1995) Karen Etheridge wasn’t having much luck in the Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, Mississippi on Sept. 29, 1995. So, deciding to cut her losses and go home, she sat down while husband John went to cash in what was left of their chips. That action came horrifyingly… Read More
The Small Town AED That Could
H .R. “Butch” Gibbs – Humeston, IA – 55 at the time of the event (April 2, 2004) Butch Gibbs can tell you that, with a little effort, big things can be done in small town America. In 2003 Butch and his wife Susie, a registered nurse, applied for a grant from a federal agency that helps small, rural towns… Read More