An article on "Sudden Cardiac Deaths in Young People" written by the Children's Health Defense team and republished on this site, has been pulled due to its implications that vaccines may cause cardiac arrest in young people. The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation does not support this claim, which is not supported by science. We apologize for any confusion.
When we watch movies and TV, we know that people can't actually fly, zombies aren't real and animals can't talk, among other scenarios presented for our entertainment.
So when CPR and other heroic measures to revive an unconscious victim pop up on the screen, should we react the same way?
"Movies very rarely get it right," said Dr. Howie Mell, an emergency room physician in suburban Chicago who has also been a firefighter and paramedic. "They need to create drama and tell a story in a succinct and cohesive manner. That doesn't always lend itself to an accurate portrayal."
Many health professionals wish that were different. Several studies in recent years have compared on-screen cardiac crises to reality and lamented the results.
Richard Schmidt, 76, was just about to board his flight home to Sacramento after a two-week vacation here last month when his heart suddenly stopped and he collapsed at the jetway at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
That’s when several passengers behind him, including a nurse and off-duty Honolulu firefighter, went into action. Feeling no pulse, they started CPR and used an airport automated external defibrillator, or AED, to shock his heart. After a single shock, Schmidt regained consciousness and was rushed to Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center where he had triple bypass heart surgery on Jan. 24. Following his recovery, he met one of the good Samaritans face-to-face at a news conference today before boarding his flight back home.
An annual report from the American Heart Association indicates the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest occurring outside hospitals in the U.S. remains high and survival rates remain low. Bystander intervention—a key determinant of survival—also remains low. The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation urges the public to learn CPR and how to use automated external defibrillators (AEDs), since immediate bystander action can triple the chance of survival. And, since most cases outside hospitals occur in the home, chances are bystanders will be called upon to help save their loved ones.
Research Spanning More Than a Decade Points to Importance of Screening for Risk Factors Earlier in Life
LOS ANGELES, CA--Obesity and other common cardiovascular risk factors may play a greater role in sudden cardiac arrest among younger people than previously recognized, underscoring the importance of earlier screening, a Cedars-Sinai study has found.
While sports activity often garners attention in cases of sudden cardiac arrest in younger patients, it was cited only in a small percentage of those ages 5 to 34 in the study, published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association.
The annual report indicates the incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in the U.S. remains high and survival remains low. Bystander intervention in the U.S. also remains low. In 2017, laypersons initiated CPR in 39% of cases, used AEDs in just 6% of cases, and delivered a shock in ~2% of cases, based on CARES data.
To help save more lives threatened by sudden cardiac arrest, Parent Heart Watch and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, along with multiple partners, urge the public to learn CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) during Heart Month this February.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a public health crisis— affecting more than 356,000 people outside hospitals each year, including over 7,000 youth under age 18—but death can be averted if people nearby act quickly. Today, only one in 10 victims survives, but with immediate CPR and use of an AED, survival rates can triple.
Move positions company to bring a new standard of care to U.S. hospitals in effort to improve cardiac arrest outcomes
The goal of exercise shouldn’t be to simply move. Rather, individuals should ramp up the intensity to improve heart and lung fitness and live longer, says a new Ball State University study.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality in Healthy Men and Women, an analysis of 4,137 adults, found that mortality risks decline when cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels increase in healthy men and women, said Matt Harber, director of Ball State’s Clinical Exercise Physiology Laboratory. This is the first time a study has directly measured CRF in both men and women rather than relying on estimates.
Study Highlights:
DALLAS, TX--African Americans – especially African American women – have a significantly higher risk of sudden cardiac death during their lifetime than whites, and much of the disparity can be attributed to income and education levels, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
