The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
Studying Heart Disease After Death Can Help the Living
Study Highlights: Autopsy findings provide valuable information about causes and natural history of overall cardiovascular disease. Several papers in a special issue of Circulation offer insight into how autopsy contributes to answers about the causes of sudden cardiac death, information from implantable device to improve heart function, and… Read More
Deaths from Cardiac Arrest Are Misclassified, Overestimated
Nearly 1 in 7 Are Due to a Hidden Drug Overdose, UCSF Autopsy Study Finds SAN FRANCISCO, CA--Forty percent of deaths attributed to cardiac arrest are not sudden or unexpected, and nearly half of the remainder are not arrhythmic – the only situation in which CPR and defibrillators are effective – according to an analysis by researchers at UC San… Read More
Drowning Can Be Fast and Silent, But It Can Be Prevented, Too
Just back from a run with her husband, Laura Metro faced a parent’s worst nightmare: Her 6-year-old daughter, Maison, ran to her screaming, “I think Clay died! I think Clay died!” Metro’s 3-year-old son, who was swimming with family friends, was found at the bottom of the pool with his towel. One friend started CPR – or the closest thing he knew… Read More
Paul F. Pendergast Joins Board of Directors
PITTSBURGH, PA--Paul F. Pendergast has been elected to serve on the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation Board of Directors. He previously chaired the Board in the organization’s infancy. Pendergast works in private practice as a management consultant specializing in sales, marketing and business development, dealing primarily with business… Read More
Erectile Dysfunction Means Increased Risk for Heart Disease, Including Cardiac Arrest, Regardless of Other Risk Factors
Study Highlights: Men with erectile dysfunction are at greater risk for heart attacks, cardiac arrests, strokes and sudden cardiac death. New study provides strongest link to date between sexual dysfunction and cardiovascular risk. Erectile dysfunction can be an important factor for physicians in gauging cardiovascular risk. Men with… Read More
Drones May Soon Help Save People in Cardiac Arrest
Drones, the unmanned aircraft that got its start as part of the U.S. military’s arsenal and is today being used by everyone from photographers to farmers, are now heralded as a solution to a problem that’s bedeviled emergency medical personnel for years: How to deliver lifesaving defibrillators to people suffering cardiac arrest in areas not… Read More
Scientists Unravel Brain Networks of Cardiac Arrest Survivors
Immediate CPR can double or triple the likelihood that a person will survive cardiac arrest, but survivors often face struggles, particularly with their brains. Dr. Karen Hirsch, a neurologist and program director of neurocritical care at the Stanford Stroke Center, is researching how to best treat patients’ brains post-cardiac arrest. She… Read More
Lifesaving Information Is Not Always a Phone Call Away
Keidryn Nimsgern’s heart stopped when she was riding in her boyfriend’s car while the two ran errands in a suburb of Madison, Wisconsin. Jake Suter had never called 911 before that frightening day a year ago. Today, they are both grateful there was a dispatcher trained to give instructions in CPR on the other end of the line. But not every… Read More
Timing Resuscitation Compressions Using the Song 'La Macarena' or a Smartphone App Improve Compression Quality
New research presented at this year's Euroanaesthesia congress in Copenhagen, Denmark shows that the quality of chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be improved by using either a smartphone app or by using the song "La Macarena" as a mental memory aid. The study is by Professor Enrique Carrero Cardenal and colleagues… Read More