The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
Texas Teen Posts Video About His Near-Death Experiences... One Week Before His Sudden Death on Christmas Day
A Texas teenager with a life-threatening heart condition spoke about his life in a video posted on YouTube days before his death. Ben Breedlove, 18, died on Christmas day, but the teenager left one last video about his life for more than 60,000 followers on YouTube, according to KXAN News in Austin. Breedlove had been using several YouTube… Read More
Alcohol, Obesity Common Causes of Sudden Death
Between 1998 and 2007, researchers in Finland performed postmortem examinations at the department of forensic medicine, University of Oulu. Causes of non-ischemic sudden cardiac death (SCD) were analyzed separately for those aged younger than 40 years, 40 to 59 years and older than 60 years. The study data were derived from 2,661 people who died… Read More
Rural AED Program to be Restored to FY10 Funding Level
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the final FY12 appropriations bill that includes $2.5 million (minus a 0.189% cut across the board cut for all programs in the bill) for the Health Research and Service Administration's Rural and Community Access to Emergency Devices Program. The final bill passed the House and Senate and is now waiting… Read More
Could This Be A Game-Changer?
Cardiac Arrest Survival Act of 2011 Would Provide Broad Good Samaritan Protection Only two percent of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) outside hospitals are treated with an automated external defibrillator (AED) by a bystander.(1) Sometimes lay bystanders hesitate to act because they are concerned about liability risks, particularly… Read More
British Heart Foundation Releases Hands-Only Video
British Heart Foundation Releases New Ad Campaign The British Heart Foundation has issued a new ad campaign designed to educate the public about the need for bystander intervention in cases of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The ad features celebrity Vinnie Jones, who shows how hard and fast "Hands-only CPR" to the beat of "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee… Read More
Pens Charity ASSIST Raffle a Great Success
PITTSBURGH--More than 40 volunteers, including college students, helped raise funds for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation earlier this week through the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation Charity ASSIST Raffle. The Pens Foundation established the Raffle to help Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organizations pursue their respective missions. A different… Read More
CMS Coverage Reaffirmed for Wearable Defibrillators
CHELMSFORD, MASS.–The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Durable Medical Equipment Medical Administrative Contractors (DME MACs) reaffirmed the current coverage policy across all indications for wearable defibrillators. CMS coverage for wearable defibrillators was established in 2005. In August, 2011, the DME MACs considered changes… Read More
ADHD Does Not Increase Risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Researchers, funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Agency for Health Research Quality, recently studied the cardiovascular risk of ADHD medications in adults. The study found little evidence that the medications increased the risk of heart events, such as heart attack, sudden cardiac death, and stroke. The concerns stem from the… Read More
Penn Announces AED Registry Project in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA-- A group of Penn Medicine researchers is set to save lives with cell phone cameras -- and they're challenging the public to help. The MyHeartMap Challenge, a month-long contest slated to take place beginning in mid January, will send thousands of Philadelphians to the streets and to social media sites to locate as many automated… Read More