Surviving Sudden Cardiac Arrest - HeartSafe Moore Partners

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Surviving Sudden Cardiac Arrest

SCA or Sudden Cardiac Arrest occurs when the heart's electrical impulses suddenly misfire and the hearts' beat becomes chaotic and rapid. This means the heart is unable to pump blood effectively, blood flow to the brain abruptly stops, and the victim quickly loses consciousness.

More than 465,000 deaths a year result from SCA or sudden cardiac arrest. The deployment of AED's can greatly reduce this number, but we can't do it without your help!

CPR will not restart the heart following cardiac arrest. Death usually follows within minutes unless normal rhythm is restored. Defibrillation is the only effective way to restart the heart.

Time is the most critical factor in saving a life. Survival rates drop 10% for each minute of time that passes before normal rhythm is restored.

Survival rates from Sudden Cardiac Arrest drop by 10% for each minute of time that passes before normal heart rythm is re-established.

There are some common misconceptions - that CPR alone saves lives, and that calling 9-1-1 will save your life. The problem is that responses times can vary greatly. Here in Moore County the average response time for Paramedic and EMS units is 12 minutes! Early defibrillation is the key link in increasing a victims chances of survival.

An AED or Automated External Defibrillator is a small battery operated, portable device that can deliver an electric shock to the heart to restore the rhythm to a heart attack victim. They've been designed for to be used by trained lay persons and the most recent advanced models include both verbal and text directions that will guide the user through the entire process quickly and safely.

They use sophisticated software to recognize the problem, analyze it,and advise treatment. They're safe and will not deliver a shock unless the victim is in cardiac arrest.

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