What is SCA?
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. An electrical malfunction in the heart causes an irregular, unsustainable heart rhythm to occur, leading to loss of consciousness, loss of blood flow to the brain, and without intervention, death.
The only effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is defibrillation, often with an AED (learn more about AEDs). Defibrillation delivers an electrical shock that stops the heart from quivering and allows it to regain a normal rhythm. An AED analyzes a person’s heart rhythm and delivers a shock through the electrode pads if a shockable rhythm is detected. This shock gives the heart a chance to resume its normal, life-sustaining rhythm, and potentially save the life of a person in cardiac arrest.
With early CPR and use of an AED, chances of survival can increase to more than 60%.
Chain of Survival
The cardiac chain of survival shows the steps to maximize survival outcomes for people experiencing SCA. It includes steps that ensure the patient not only makes it to the hospital, but makes it home as well.
Timeline of SCA
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is deadly without rapid intervention. Survival chances decrease by 10% for every minute that CPR and AED use is delayed.
Immediate CPR and AED use combat this timeline and can triple chances of survival.
What is the first sign of SCA?
The first thing that happens to a SCA victim is they pass out. They stop breathing, although they may gasp or moan. Since the victim is no longer getting blood and oxygen to the brain, they have only four to six minutes before brain damage begins to occur, and soon after that, brain death. For each minute that passes without medical or bystander intervention, there is an incremental 10% decrease in the chance of victim survival. Even the best emergency response times are six to eight minutes, making the chance of survival low. The average national survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is less than 10%.
How is SCA treated?
Cardiac arrest may be reversed if cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is performed on the victim within a few minutes and a defibrillator is used to shock the heart. This shock stops the heart from quivering and allows it to regain a normal rhythm. The shock must be administered quickly, before brain death begins. The definitive treatment for SCA is defibrillation. Early bystander intervention and access to defibrillation is the key to SCA victim survival.
Who survives SCA?
SCA survivors typically have four things in common:
- A passing bystander recognizes the emergency, decides to help, confirms the victim is not responding, and makes sure that 911 is called.
- Someone begins CPR immediately—doubling the victim’s chance of survival.
- An automated external defibrillator (AED) is delivered to the scene ideally within three to five minutes and bystanders utilize it immediately. The device provides the life-saving shock (only when it deems it’s necessary) to the victim’s heart.
- Professional EMS personnel arrive early and provide advanced life-support care.
What is the difference between SCA and a heart attack?
Sudden cardiac arrest is not the same thing as a heart attack. The majority of heart attacks are due to a blockage in one of the arteries that supply blood to a specific area of the heart. When there is an interruption of blood flow to a portion of the heart, that part of the heart starts to die due to lack of oxygen. This results in the discomfort/pain a heart attack victim often feels in the days or hours before the incident. While the heart attack is happening, the victim is able to talk and respond to bystanders.
AEDs in our community help improve survival from SCA.
Communities with AED programs and easy access to CPR training have higher SCA survival rates.
Studies have shown that early CPR and AED use by bystanders can improve outcomes by 60%. “Bystander AED use prior to EMS arrival in shockable-observed-public OHCA was associated with better survival and functional outcomes. Continued emphasis on public AED utilization programs may further improve outcomes of OHCA.” (Pollack et. al., 2019).
When it comes to SCA, time is everything. Every minute that a person in cardiac arrest is waiting for EMS, not receiving CPR or defibrillation, their chance of surviving decreases by around 10%. This means that those who are near the patient have the potential to do life-saving work before even the trained EMS providers, simply due to their proximity and ability to act quickly. If a bystander begins CPR right away, and when an AED is used, the deadly SCA timeline is pushed back and the chance of survival to hospital discharge is significantly increased.
Access to bystander CPR and early defibrillation via AED saves lives.
Learn CPR and AED. Save a life.
Email info@viaheartproject.org to learn more about how you can save a life.