Missing and Rusty Links...in the Chain of Survival

There's a nice, tidy guide to maximizing resuscitation success when someone has a sudden cardiac arrest: (1) immediately recognize the arrest for what it is and activate the 911 emergency response network; (2) immediately begin chest compressions; (3) promptly defibrillate the victim; (4) get the… Read More

It's important to know where to find AEDs on Airplanes, Trains, and other public places.

Train Passengers Perform CPR After Man Collapses at West Newton Station After a man collapsed on the platform in West Newton, Commuter Rail passengers stepped in to help out. By Melanie Graham It was an exciting commute for a few passengers on the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail line this… Read More

What we'll see in the years ahead.

For those of us who got comfortably used to seeing changes in resuscitation science every five years, the past few years have seemed fast-paced. But the rate of change is accelerating. It's time to fasten your seat belt. Thanks to the pioneering work of the past few years, we are now beginning to… Read More

No Wins, Too Many Losses

Football Deaths Should Be A Wake-Up Call for Parents and Other High School Stakeholders What do high school football players Tyquan Brantley, 14, of South Carolina, Donaterio J. (D.J.) Searcy, 16, of Georgia, Isaiah Laurencin, 16, of Florida, Samuel Gitt, 17, of Pennsylvania, and high school… Read More

Kayla Burt died in 2002

Kayla Burt, a former University of Washington basketball star, died in 2002 of a sudden cardiac arrest and recently was hired as an outreach coordinator for The Hope Heart Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization in Bellevue. Her recovery from death-by-SCA has been attributed to… Read More

Therapeutic Hyothermia is very, very promising

[This material comes from Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, because at the time I was writing, the Circulation article was not available.] Chillin' out after a cardiac arrest. This is a relatively small study - 140 cardiac arrests - but the second paragraph is enough to get one's attention. _________… Read More

Why young folks die from cardiac arrest

Here's an article written by Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen. It's well-written, it mentions the most important points, but stops short of getting to the tragedy of it all, and it doesn't provide a solution. They focus on HCM, a congenital disorder that yields a thicker left ventricle wall. In times of… Read More

My Story: 12 Years After I Survived Sudden Death

Like George Yamalis, I had a very personal reason for joining the Foundation’s team at this year’s Highmark Walk for Healthy Community. Today, June 2, is the 12th anniversary of my frightening and eye-opening experience with sudden cardiac death. I was fortunate on that day in 1999 to be among… Read More

Life, Death, and the Space Between - My experience with Sudden Cardiac Arrest (3 months later)

On March 1, 2011, at the age of 42, I was about 20 min. into a routine two-hour run around Lake Merritt in Oakland when I collapsed from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (V-Fib). To my fortune, there was a runner, Andy Hill, who happen to be close enough to help break my fall and provide immediate aid.… Read More

PLEASE!

1. Go to www.heart.org/cpr and watch the one minute video. That will make the people around you safer. 2. Get 10 of your family members and friends and acquaintances - the people you spend most of your time with - to watch the video. That will make YOU safer. 3. Go to www.slicc.org/ClassVideo/… Read More