The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
Cardiologists Often Fail to Communicate ICD Impact
When communicating with patients about implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), cardiologists often misrepresent and omit information about the associated psychological and long-term risks, according to research published online Feb. 18 in JAMA Internal Medicine. To assess patient-physician communication at the time of the decision to… Read More
Calling All Survivors: Nominate Your Rescuers for the People Saving People(TM) Award
PITTSBURGH–The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation has announced its 2012 People Saving People(TM) award program to honor 'ordinary' people with extraordinary heroic spirits who help save the lives of victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The purpose of the program is to increase awareness about the critical need for laypersons to be prepared to… Read More
Philadelphians Urged to Help Locate AEDs
Would you be able to find an automated external defibrillator if someone's life depended on it? Despite an estimated one million AEDs scattered around the United States, the answer, all too often when people suffer sudden cardiac arrests, is no. In cases of ventricular fibrillation – a wild, disorganized cardiac rhythm that leaves the heart unable… Read More
NATA Releases New Guidelines on Prevention of Sudden Death in Athletes
New guidelines outlining the causes and prevention of sudden death among athletes were released this week by the National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA) in the United States. "These guidelines were developed for any level of sports participation, and to truly help save a life," NATA President Marjorie Albohm said in an association news… Read More
The Heart Beats to the Rhythm of a Circadian Clock
CLEVELAND - A fundamental discovery reported in the March 1st issue of the journal Nature, uncovers the first molecular evidence linking the body’s natural circadian rhythms to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Ventricular arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, are the most common cause of sudden cardiac death: the primary cause of death from heart… Read More
Survey Reveals Discordance Among Physicians in Following ICD Guidelines
More than one-quarter of physicians surveyed never refer patients with the intent of consideration for a primary prevention implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), including 7% of cardiologists, accoring to survey results published in Heart Rhythm. To determine concordance with primary prevention ICD guidelines from the American College of… Read More
ECG Experts Gather to Improve Identification of Athletes at Risk
SEATTLE – On Feb. 13-14, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) partnered with the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Sports Cardiology Section, the Pediatric & Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES), other leading U.S. cardiologists, the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), and the FIFA Medical Assessment and… Read More
Akron Nurses Commended for Heroic Actions
COLUMBUS — State Rep. Anthony DeVitis (R-District 36) recently presented Ohio House commendations to two local nurses who saved the life of runner Tony Lindeman in the Akron Marathon Sept. 29. Lindeman was one of 13,000 running in the marathon that day, and as he neared the second mile marker, he collapsed and stopped breathing, according to… Read More
NJ Senators Introduce Bill Protecting Good Samaritans Who Use AEDs
A bill, sponsored by New Jersey State Senators Bob Gordon (D-38 Fair Lawn) and Joseph F. Vitale (D-Middlesex) that would protect good Samaritans who use an automated external defibrillator (AED) while attempting to save someone’s life from civil liability was approved by the full Senate on Monday and is now scheduled for a vote in the Assembly on… Read More