Mystery Killer

Heal a Broken Heart

There is a killer stalking young athletes, children and adults. Roughly 400,000 people are struck down every year by Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Many could be saved by public access to an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). SCA attempts to kill someone every 30 seconds. My next door neighbor separated two cats having a hissy fit, then he went in the house and died ! A defibrillator may have helped his SCA.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) affects not just the elderly. It happens at high school sports events, at church, at work, during travel and at home. A fatality caused by an SCA can happen without the heart being under stress. SCA victims have been rescued aboard a flight because the airline had the foresight to purchase a defibrillator for each airplane and educate personnel in it’s operation ! High school coaches have used a defibrillator on the field to save young athletes suffering from SCA.

Simply stated, a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is an ELECTRICAL crisis of the heart usually caused by Ventricular Fibrillation. The heart’s electrical system becomes chaotic; it quivers, failing to pump oxygenated blood through the body. The sufferer stops breathing, becomes unconscious, and the brain begins to die after 4 to 6 minutes without access to a defibrillator and CPR. The defibrillator resets the heart’s natural rhythm.

Unlike an SCA, a heart attack is usually caused by a blocked artery, family history of heart disease, or bad habits such as smoking. A heart attack would not be helped by a defibrillator.

Alarmingly, a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) can strike ANYONE . . . of ANY AGE . . . from a child to an adult, at ANYTIME, and a defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death.

40,000 men, women, and children a year can survive a SCA, because bystanders react quickly with a defibrillator. Instead of standing by and watching helplessly . . . they call 911, they apply CPR, and most of all they bring an Automated External Defibrillator to the victims’ side and give their heart the spark of life . . . Another loved one returned to their family.

Fortunately, federal and state authorities have realized the benefits of a Public Access to Defibrillation program to defeat SCA and have begun to require defibrillators in state and federal workplaces. A defibrillator can be found in many places in airports; a defibrillator is installed in Malls and in places near a fire extinguisher. Police cars are beginning to carry a defibrillator. Airplanes have a defibrillator. Cruise ships have a defibrillator. I discovered a defibrillator on the wall at the VA Hospital. Health Clubs and dental offices are required to have a defibrillator to be prepared for an SCA.

The more commonplace the defibrillator becomes, like the fire extinguisher, the more lives can be saved from SCA. With a little training in CPR and defibrillator usage, we can turn more bystanders into 1st responders. Heal a Broken Heart