The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
Is It Worth Resuscitating Octogenarians?
Too young to die? BARCELONA, SPAIN--It is worth resuscitating older people with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, concludes research presented at ESC Congress today by Dr Helle Søholm from Denmark. The nine- year study in 4,000 people shows that most of the patients who survive go on to live active lives. Dr Søholm said… Read More
New Method Predicts Optimal Number and Location of AEDs
Study estimates optimal number of AEDs and placement in Paris. Subway stations among the best locations. BARCELONA, SPAIN--A new method to predict the optimal number and location of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) was presented at ESC Congress today by Dr. Benjamin Dahan from France. According to the predictive method, Paris needs… Read More
Sudden Death Predictor Identifies ICD Candidates
BARCELONA-- A new sudden death predictor for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) identifies candidates for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) in ESC Guidelines published today. They are presented at ESC Congress by Task Force Chairperson Professor Perry Elliott (UK). The “2014 ESC Guidelines on Diagnosis and Management… Read More
What Every Parent Needs to Know About Children's Heart Health
When thinking of heart disease, older adults typically come to mind, but children also can have heart disease, often with more devastating outcomes. Pediatric cardiomyopathy is a potentially life-threatening disease and the leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in children. Cardiomyopathy is a chronic disease of the heart muscle that… Read More
National Efforts to Raise Awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest
The Institute of Medicine, a division of the National Academies of Sciences, recently conducted a meeting in Seattle to continue its preliminary work on the status of cardiac arrest outcomes in the U.S. and opportunities for improvement. (Click here for report.) As part of that meeting, IOM cardiac arrest committee member Ben Bobrow, MD, of the… Read More
Report on the Institute of Medicine Committee on Treatment of Cardiac Arrest
A national initiative to improve survival from cardiac arrest The Institute of Medicine, a division of the National Academies of Sciences, has announced it will conduct a study on the current status of, and future opportunities to improve, cardiac arrest outcomes in the United States. The study will examine current statistics and variability… Read More
A Test Working to Predict Sudden Cardiac Death
On September 14, 2007, Lorenz Diesbergen, age 44, stepped off a commuter train in downtown Chicago and began his daily walk to work in the Chicago Loop. As he crossed the bridge over the Chicago River, his heart’s normal rhythm suddenly deteriorated into an uncoordinated frenzy of useless fibrillations. He may have managed a few more steps—we don’… Read More
Commonly Prescribed Antibiotic ‘Could Increase Risk Of Cardiac Death,’ Scientists Warn
A new study published in The BMJ has linked a commonly prescribed antibiotic – clarithromycin – to an increased risk of cardiac death. Clarithromycin belongs to a class of drugs known as macrolide antibiotics. It is used to treat an array of bacterial infections, including pneumonia, bronchitis and ear, sinus, skin and throat infections. … Read More
Implantable Heart Devices Result in Similar Survival Benefits Among Ethnic, Racial Groups
LOS ANGELES--Racial and ethnic minorities who receive implantable devices to treat heart failure derive the same substantial survival benefit from these therapies as white patients, new UCLA-led research shows. While the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association jointly recommend the use of implantable cardioverter… Read More