Posted on 04/06/2010

Something as easy to wear as your clothes could help save your life.

The life of heart attack patient Stacey Alcala nearly ended without warning. "My chest was caving in and my arm was going numb."

Alcala had a heart attack, something she never thought would happen at age 29. "I'm very active, eat right - best I can. Exercise a lot."

All of that did not stop her artery from tearing. "The only thing that came to my head was what could this do to my girls?'

Alcala survived and was sent home from the hospital with one of these -- the first wearable defibrillator. Heart attack survivors like her are at a 12 percent increased risk for a sudden cardiac arrest the first three months following the attack.

The life vest offers immediate protection. "The vest has electrodes that go on the surface of the skin that both record the heart's electrical activity like an EKG, and can deliver an electrical shock, much like the paramedics would in an emergency situation," said Dr. Brian Deville.

When a patient's heart stops beating, a warning is given. If the patient does not respond, the vest takes over.

"The shock is actually delivered through here and an electrode on the back," said Deville as he demonstrated on the vest.

It allows patients to go home faster from the hospital, feeling safer about the distance between them and help. Alcala wore the life vest for six weeks. Soon after that, she was back to playing with her kids and dancing. "Every moment I have with them now, I try to make the best of it."

The life vest does not prevent a heart attack, but does treat cardiac arrest.

LIFE VEST: Patients who survive a heart attack have a 12 percent increased risk for a sudden cardiac arrest during the first three months following the event. Now, a new vest is offering them protection. LifeVest is the world's first wearable defibrillator. It's worn outside the body rather than being implanted in the chest. The device weighs only three pounds and continuously monitors the patient's heart to detect life-threatening, abnormal heart rhythms. If a life-threatening rhythm is detected and the patient is unconscious, the device delivers an electrical shock to restore normal rhythm. This typically happens within one minute. The device is FDA-approved, and according to its manufacturers, it has a 98 percent "first shock" success rate in treating patients for sudden cardiac arrest without requiring bystander intervention.

SOURCE: ABC Local

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