The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
Three Saves in Three Months at Hawaii Airport
September 15, 2007–HONOLULU–For the third time since July, a life has been saved at a Honolulu International Airport with an automated external defibrillator (AED). Thanks to quick thinking by those around him, a 76-year-old man from New Jersey is alive.Doctors Jonathan Duca and Nanette Duca-Cruz came in on a flight from New Jersey on Saturday,… Read More
National ICD Registry Reports Few Complications with Implantation of Internal Defibrillators
Some Implanting Physicians Lack Formal TrainingSeptember 7, 2007–WASHINGTON–First the good news: First year data from the National ICD Registry indicates few complications with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs). Now the bad news: A number of implanting physicians had no formal training with the medical procedure. The report will be… Read More
Low Risk of Infection with ICDs
September 5, 2007–DALLAS–Device-related infections developed in fewer than 1% of patients within a year of pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation, according to a study to be published in the September 18th issue of Circulation (published online on August 27th). The Prospective Evaluation of Pacemaker Lead… Read More
New CPR Promises Better Results by Compressing Abdomen, Not Chest
Leslie Geddes, the Showalter Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, demonstrates a new technique for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The method promises to be more effective than standard CPR because it increases nourishing blood flow through the heart by 25 percent. Geddes has developed the… Read More
ISSA Requires Personal Trainers to Undergo AED Training
May 29, 2007 – CARPINTERIA, CA – The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), a teaching institution and certification agency for fitness trainers, will require all U.S. students who enroll in a certification course after June 1, 2007 to provide evidence they have successfully completed training in the use of automated external… Read More
First Statewide PAD Program Launched in Nevada
April 20, 2007 – RENO, NV– Leading local health organizations in the State of Nevada have announced the formation of Nevada Project Heartbeat, the first statewide Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program in the United States. Nevada Project Heartbeat’s goal is to improve Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) survivability in the State of Nevada… Read More
FDA: Routine Follow-Up Important for Patients Affected by ICD Recall
April 11, 2007 – Boston Scientific/Guidant has recalled approximately 73,000 Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators (ICDs) and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillators (CRT-Ds). A faulty component in these devices can cause the batteries to use energy sooner than expected. “No patients have been harmed, however some devices… Read More
Penn Study: ICDs Improve Quality of Life for Heart Patients
Patients Should Be Optimistic About Return to Normal Life After Surgery April 11, 2007 – PHILADELPHIA –Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine have discovered that implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) -- electric monitoring devices that deliver a lifesaving shock in the event of a cardiac arrest -- help… Read More
Use of Vending Machines to Dispense AEDs
April 11, 2007 – Tokyo - According to an article by Alice Dordenker in The Japan Times, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are now available in vending machines across Japan. “This interesting innovation is just one of the ways in which Japan is leading the world in AED deployment, after years of being far behind,” she says.Her report states… Read More