Why Sudden Cardiac Arrest Is So Deadly
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the most common cause of death from heart disease, accounting for more than 63 percent of all cardiac deaths. In SCA, the heart suddenly stops beating normally. The electrical impulses that control the rhythm of the heart become so disorganized that the heart begins beating at an abnormally rapid and chaotic pace and can no longer effectively pump blood to the body or oxygen to the brain. Without a blood supply, oxygen-starved organs are irreversibly damaged and will quickly fail.

The only effective treatment for SCA is defibrillation. External defibrillation provides a brief, effective therapeutic electric shock through the person's chest to the heart, restoring the heart's normal rhythm. While people with heart problems are at high risk of death from SCA, it can strike anyone, anywhere, at any time without warning and in some cases is the victim's only symptom. Even young people, people who appear to be healthy, and people with no history of heart problems can be victims of this silent killer.

Early Defibrillation
The only effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation is the delivery of an electrical shock by a defibrillator. Time is critical. Each minute of delay before defibrillation reduces survival by about 10 percent. Portable defibrillators, called automated external defibrillators or AEDs, are now available.

Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
An AED analyzes the heart's rhythm and tells the user to deliver a shock if it is needed. An AED is small, about the size of a laptop computer, and is very easy to use, giving the user both audible and visual instructions. The AED is designed to ensure that a shock is delivered only if it is needed.

Who Can Use an AED?
AEDs are designed to be used safely by people who are not medically trained. In most states, anyone who has taken a CPR and AED instruction course in a medically supervised program can use an AED. Training courses are offered by the American Heart Association, the National Safety Council, the American Red Cross and other local organizations.

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