CHICAGO, IL--The American Heart Association Resuscitation Science Symposium kicked off last week in Chicago with an opening plenary session on dispatch-assisted CPR co-moderated by Joseph P. Ornato, MD, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Mary M. Newman, MS, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. The session included testimonials from two survivors and the family members who helped save their lives, plus a research presentation by Tom Rea, MD, MPH, University of Washington.

A national study conducted for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation by StrataVerve found that thousands more lives could be saved if only the public understood the critical nature of sudden cardiac arrest and the need for immediate bystander intervention. When exposed to a simple definition of SCA, the likelihood to give CPR or apply an AED increases significantly.

CHICAGO, IL--Sudden cardiac arrest – when the heart stops beating – is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. To help save lives, automated external defibrillators, which shock the heart back into a regular beat, have been placed in many public places.

Now, these portable AED devices may improve the chance of survival among children and teens, according to a new study presented Sunday at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions meeting in Chicago.

WASHINGTON, DC--Prompt action from a bystander can impact the likelihood a person survives cardiac arrest when it occurs outside of a hospital. Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training kiosks are becoming more widespread and are an effective training tool, a new Annals of Emergency Medicine analysis finds. 

A new study of 738 participants compares the efficacy of three types of Hands-Only CPR; a classroom session with a facilitator, a kiosk session with a manikin, and a video-only session. Hands-Only CPR is as effective as conventional CPR and simplifies the skill while decreasing common concerns about mouth-to-mouth contact, the authors note.  

Despite controlling for factors including income, smoking and cholesterol levels, black patients remain at high risk

PHILADELPHIA, PA--While it’s well reported that black patients are twice as likely as white patients to succumb to sudden cardiac death (SCD), the underlying factors that propel this disparity remain unknown. According to a first-of-its-kind study from Penn Medicine, published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers showed that even after controlling for risk factors like income, education, smoking, exercise, and bad cholesterol, among others, black patients remained at significantly higher risk for SCD.

Pivotal research conducted at cedars-sinai announced at american heart association scientific sessions

CHICAGO, IL--Today, at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, the research group led by Sumeet Chugh, MD, professor of Medicine and associate director of the Smidt Heart Institute, presented three critical research studies aimed at better understanding sudden cardiac arrest.

"These research studies provide clues into some of the toughest questions in cardiac care," said Chugh, the Pauline and Harold Price Chair in Cardiac Electrophysiology Research. "These findings help us move closer to understanding who is at highest risk of sudden cardiac arrest."

CHICAGO, IL--The American Heart Association awarded Clifton W. Callaway, MD, PhD, the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award in Cardiac Resuscitation Science at its Resuscitation Science Symposium 2018. The award recognizes leaders in the field of cardiac resuscitation science. Callaway, Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Emergency Medicine, studies resuscitation medicine with special emphasis on brain injury after cardiac arrest. He has developed a translational research program devoted to the topic of resuscitation from sudden death.

DALLAS, TX--Adults with an inherited thickening of the heart muscle, often don’t stop participating in thrill-seeking activities despite recommendations that they should. And while some experienced minor consequences, only a few suffered serious health effects as a result, according to preliminary research from an online survey to be presented in Chicago at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2018, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians.

DALLAS, TX--A multi-year review of all pediatric emergency response records in Houston found that Black infants comprised a significantly larger proportion of cardiac arrests than expected, more than four times more cases than in non-Hispanic White children, according to preliminary research to be presented in Chicago at the American Heart Association’s Resuscitation Science Symposium 2018, an international conference highlighting the best in cardiovascular resuscitation research.

DALLAS, TX--Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms may significantly increase cardiac arrest survivors’ risk of major cardiovascular events and death up to a year after the initial medical crisis, according to preliminary research to be presented in Chicago at the American Heart Association’s Resuscitation Science Symposium 2018 - an international conference highlighting the best in cardiovascular resuscitation research.