PITTSBURGH, PA -- October is National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) remains a pressing public health concern, affecting about 1,000 people in community settings every day. Tragically, survival to hospital discharge after EMS-treated out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrest remains stagnant at a dismal 10 percent.
Recent high-profile cases of Sudden Cardiac Arrest highlight the need for greater public awareness. The survival of athletes Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills in January and Bronny James of USC Basketball in July exemplify the importance of education, preparation, and action, while emphasizing the fact that SCA can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Public awareness surrounding these cases may herald a new era of enlightenment, motivating more people to learn how to recognize SCA, learn CPR, learn how to use AEDs (automated external defibrillators), and feel empowered to act in emergencies.
The survival from Sudden Cardiac Arrest of athletes Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills in January and Bronny James of USC Basketball in July exemplify the importance of education, preparation, and action, while emphasizing the fact that SCA can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
This may well be a tipping point. Recent indications are:
- Skyrocketing AED deployment
- A dramatic increase in federal and state legislative initiatives calling for CPR/AED education and placement of AEDs in schools, sports venues, workplaces, and other community settings
- A notable shift in nomenclature used by media that correctly refers to "Sudden Cardiac Arrest" vs. "heart attack" in describing the life-threatening condition.
"The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is proud to have contributed to these positive changes," said Mary M. Newman, MS, president. "The Foundation has worked tirelessly for years to increase awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, help save lives, and support those affected by SCA."
The Foundation's focus for this October's Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness month include:
- Continued efforts to drive worldwide awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and the steps necessary for survival through its website, social media, and the Call-Push-Shock movement
- Improved education, action, and resources for vulnerable and underserved communities
- Advancing the Cardiac Arrest Survivor Alliance, an online community for people affected by cardiac arrest that has attracted more than a thousand members from more than 20 countries so far this year. The initiative is led by experts including physicians, psychologists, survivors and co-survivors. Its goals are to provide evidence-based information, facilitate peer and professional support, and address an unmet need for people personally affected by SCA in their survivorship journeys.
- Programs to recognize lay rescuers
- Significant research support, working in collaboration with universities and academic hospitals
- Advocacy support, including promotion of the federal Access to AEDs Act and promotion of state legislation working in collaboration with the Smart Heart Sports Coalition, led by the NFL.
"For the first time in a long time, we are encouraged that awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest is gaining traction," said survivor Henry Jampel, MD, MHS, Chair of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation Board of Directors. "With greater awareness, education, and access to AEDs, we will save many more lives."