What Are You Doing for National CPR-AED Awareness Week?

National CPR-AED Awareness Week June 1-7 is set aside each year to raise awareness about the need for everyone to learn the essential life skills of CPR and AED use. In Reno, Nevada, people are learning about CPR and AEDs through sidewalk training events. In Tucson, Arizona folks are taking classes… Read More

Life after cardiac arrest

On December 11, 2008, my husband suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. We were blessed to have two women at the church who were both certified in CPR. Unfortnately, they were unable to prevent an anoxic brain injury. So, in a word, life after cardiac arrest is DIFFICULT. I joined SCA Foundation a few… Read More

Remembering Hans Dahll

Today would have been Hans Dahll's 87th birthday. Hans was founding CEO of Laerdal Medical, Americas. Here is an article that was published in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services when Hans died in March 2006. To Sir With Love Hans H. Dahll: A Personal Reflection When I think of a model for… Read More

SCA Survivor Provides Cardiac Screenings To California Families & Athletes

Holly Morrell of Heartfelt Cardiac Projects is expanding her efforts to provide more low-cost cardiac screenings to Orange County families and athletes. Holly's involvement with cardiac screening is dedicated to the memory of her 6 family members, including her father, who lost their lives to this… Read More

When the pieces are in place, it works most of the time. PLEASE get trained and get your friends and family members trained.

CLINTON TWP. — A 16-year-old girl collapsed in cardiac arrest during cheerleader tryouts at North Hunterdon High School on Tuesday night and was flown to Morristown Memorial Hospital after receiving CPR from police, school staff and a parent.She was “awake and doing OK” at the hospital this morning… Read More

We are going to have to do this ourselves.

There is a deadly phenomenon named 'commotio cordis'. It can occur when a person receives a hard blow to the chest at a certain time during the normal cardiac rhythm. This can happen in ice hockey, lacrosse, baseball, football, karate, or any sport where a hard blow to the chest can happen. It is… Read More

South Metro Fire 3rd Annual Sweet Heart's Ball

Last night Erika, Brent and I attended The South Metro Fire 3rd Annual Sweet Hearts ball. There were about 350 people in attendance in downtown Denver area. There was a silent auction and a live auction. This fund raiser is solely for the purpose of purchasing AEDs. I don't know how much was bid on… Read More

This happens every day, teammates, but...

...more often than not, the bystanders do no more than call 911 and another life is lost.I ask that you reflect on the simple fact that when you have a sudden cardiac arrest, you aren't the one who can pump your chest. I urge you to get intolerant about people around you who don't know what to do… Read More

There's an opportunity to misunderstand...

and it appears that many people are taking it.The wonderful piece in the New England Journal of Medicine a few days ago makes the point that the heart rhythms "shockable" by an AED (ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia) are more commonly observed in public places than in… Read More

Another Argument for more Public Access AED's

Cardiac Arrest in Homes vs. in Public Settings Shockable rhythms are more common in public settings. In a prospective, multicenter cohort study of 14,420 adult patients with nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the U.S. and Canada between 2005 and 2007, researchers assessed initial… Read More