Stress Test Chemicals Could Cause Heart Attacks And Death, FDA Warns

Nov 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned physicians on Wednesday that two chemicals used to conduct cardiovascular stress tests can cause heart attacks and death, and it suggested resuscitation equipment and trained staff be available when the tests are conducted. The… Read More

Should Student Athletes Undergo Cardiac Screening?

The New England Journal of Medicine has posted a poll regarding cardiac screening before participation in high school sports. It poses the question whether athletes should undergo cardiac screening, and if so whether that should include not only a history and physical, but also an electrocardiogram… Read More

CPR for 38 Minutes or Longer Improves Chance to Survive Cardiac Arrest

Conventional wisdom suggests that performing CPR for more than 20 minutes is futiile. A new study shows that performing CPR for 38 minutes or more can be beneficial. Performing CPR for 38 minutes or longer can improve a patient's chance of surviving cardiac arrest, according to a study presented at… Read More

Is your school heart safe?

To receive a HEARTSafe designation, a school must do cardiac emergency response drills, have a medical emergency response plan, ensure 10 percent of staff is CPR-certified, inspect defibrillators and ensure student athletes are screened properly with physicals. A new program is being launched to… Read More

Kaiser Permanente and Hawaii Heart Foundation launch screening program for young athletes

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has paired up with the Hawaii Heart Foundation to launch a new program in Hawaii’s high schools to screen young athletes at risk of sudden cardiac arrest. The program, called Hawaii Heart Youth Screening, recently kicked off at Moanalua High School where the health-care… Read More

Teen Organizes EKG Screening in Pittsburgh

We commend Alyssa Mehlhorn, for her work as a volunteer for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, and in particular, for organizing a heart screening for fellow students as her senior high school project.   Alyssa Mehlhorn couldn’t decide on a topic for her senior research paper. She wanted to… Read More

Study: Begin Cooling After Cardiac Arrest Within Six Hours of Arrest

CHICAGO -- There's no difference in neurologic outcomes or survival as long as cardiac arrest patients are started on therapeutic hypothermia within 6 hours of being revived, researchers said here. In a single-center study, those who were started on hypothermia within 2 hours had similar Cerebral… Read More

It's nice not being needed!

I also serve as a Medical First Responder in the community where I live. Last week I was toned out to respond to a local church where a person had passed out. By the time I got there, two people in attendance at the church had determined non-responsiveness, called 911, determined non-normal… Read More

How many AEDs do public buildings need?

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - 61st District Court Judge Benjamin Logan is undergoing tests to determine the extent of the damage done by the heart attack the long-serving jurist suffered this week. Logan was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after suffering that heart attack in his courtroom. The… Read More

How Sweden’s New Text Message Plan Is Saving Cardiac Arrest Victims

By using text messages, the city of Stockholm, Sweden is getting emergency responders to cardiac arrest victims faster. Here’s how it works. Volunteers who are trained in CPR are added to a network called SMSlivräddare, (or SMSLifesaver). When a resident dials 112 (the equivalent of 911 in the… Read More