Check out this save!

The LA Times carried a story about an attorney who arrested and was saved by his staff members. See
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1007-lopez-cpr-20121007,0,83773.column

Each of us as more than a ten percent chance of seeing - at least once in our lifetime - a family member, a friend, or an associate die of a cardiac arrest. When that happens, the victim is clinically dead, and will almost certainly stay dead unless someone sees that person die, calls 911, begins CPR, and - if one is available - promptly defibrillates the victim's heart with an AED.

When one of the possible outcomes of an event (for example, a cardiac arrest) is, in your mind, truly unacceptable, you need to view the odds of that happening as being 100% and prepare to deal with it when the arrest happens.

Not sure what to do when you see someone have a cardiac arrest? Go to www.slicc.org and click on "For Past Trainees" in the left-hand column. It's a big download, so don't click multiple times - that will just slow down the download process.

Bob

There is a positive note to this tragedy

High school football player dies after collapsing during game
WYFF Greenville
Rouse was given CPR and shocked with a defibrillator before the ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital. Players and coaches from both sides prayed as medical personnel tended to Rouse. Hartsville was hosting Crestwood. 

________________

Ten years ago it would have been very difficult to find an AED on the sidelines at a high school athletic contest. It's tragic that this student died, but AEDs do not bring back every victim. Immediate activation of 911, immediate CPR, and prompt defibrillation are essential to survival after a sudden cardiac arrest. The victim's odds of getting out of the hospital with major brain functions intact are far, far higher when you follow the chain of survival.

Bob

Pittsburgh has its act together!

October is Sudden Cardiac Awareness Month, and Pittsburgh Gives, a Pittsburrgh charity is once again setting up a matching fund. The way this works is that, if you make a donation to a deserving charity on their list - and my biased favorite is The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation in Wexford, PA - the Pittsburgh Gives Foundation will split the matching pool among all the participating charities, pro-rata. For example, if the charities raise $400,000 and the matching pool were $100,000 each of the participating charities would receive an extra $25 for every $100 they raised.

Check here:
http://www.sca-aware.org/sca-news/you-can-make-a-difference-help-raise-awareness-on-october-3
Many thanks,

Bob 

Either they had an AED & the reporter did not mention it, or....

Here's the logic flow: If an MD was doing CPR, it was because the student had suffered an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. If the student was in the ER, awaiting transfer to an appropriate hospital, an AED was used on him, because it's extremely rare that someone's heart will spontaneously resume beating when treated only with CPR. If an AED was used at the scene before EMS arrived, there's a really good chance that the child will survive with major brain functions intact. If they had to wait for the ambulance to arrive and use their defibrillator, the odds of a good outcome are a lot lower. There's no way to tell from the story whether or not there was an AED on scene, but the story does give us an opportunity to reflect that there should always be an AED at every athletic match or practice. The article starts below.

A Richmond High School band member is in critical condition in the Reid Hospital emergency room after collapsing at the Richmond Homecoming football game.

The male student is awaiting transfer to the Children’s Medical Center of Dayton, Ohio.

Band director Terry Bettner said that the group performed the “National Anthem” before the start of the game and during the performance another band student noticed that the male student was having difficulty breathing.

The ill student was ushered to a bench and his condition deteriorated. Dr. Gregory Woods, who was on hand and who helps the Richmond football team with some medical issues, did CPR.

The student was then taken to Reid Hospital. Richmond High School principal Rae Woolpy, assistant principal Rachel Etherington and Richmond superintendent Allen Bourff all went to the hospital, along with the teen’s two sisters, who also are involved in Richmond Community Schools’ music program.

At about 9 p.m., the student was in critical condition in the Reid emergency room awaiting transfer to Children’s Medical Center.

No further information about the cause of his illness was available.

Bettner said that he is thankful that the student became ill at an event where medical attention was immediately available, rather than at home alone.

So how does this example of 30% of arrests differ from the other 70%?

Longview student collapses at basketball practice

A student collapsed and briefly stopped breathing during an open basketball practice at Mark Morris High School in Longview.

The Associated Press

LONGVIEW, Wash. —

A student collapsed and briefly stopped breathing during an open basketball practice at Mark Morris High School in Longview.

A coach and parent gave CPR Sunday to 16-year-old Spencer Best of Longview until paramedics arrived and used a heart defibrillator.

His father, Rich Best, told The Daily News (http://is.gd/fRM2vn) Spencer will remain in intensive care for a couple more days this week at Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center in Portland.

He says Spencer is alert and communicating. He says the men who gave him CPR saved his life.

---

Information from: The Daily News, http://www.tdn.com

How does this differ? Somebody did something before the ambulance got to the scene.

It would have been a lot more certain that the outcome would be happy if there had been an AED on the sidelines - as there needs to be for every match and practice session.

Please bug your local school officials until they have an AED at the sidelines for every match and practice for every sport except, perhaps, the chess club!

CPR + Prompt Defibrillation Really Works - at least ten times better than not doing anything!

A Tucson woman saves her husband with hands-only CPR
Posted: Sep 21, 2012 11:21 AM by Ryan Haarer
Updated: Sep 21, 2012 11:21 AM
KVOA.com

TUCSON- With over 380,000 cardiac arrests every year only about 70 percent of people know how to do CPR, according to the American Heart Association.

Recently a Tucson family had quite a scare. E.J. Marx felt chest and arm pain during a soccer game. His wife Whitney got him and their infant son Kahn into the car. On the way to the hospital, E.J. went into cardiac arrest.

Whitney handled the situation perfectly. She called 911, pulled E.J. out of the car and began chest compressions. She continued until emergency responders arrived.

E.J. spent two weeks in a coma, but is thankful his wife knew what to do, as it probably saved his life.

The American Heart Association recently launched a website with a one minute tutorial on how to do hands only CPR. They are also trying to make CPR a graduation requirement in Arizona. That would give 65,000 more people the ability to save a life.

See more of E.J. and Whitney's story in the video above. To learn CPR basics visit the new website at www.HandsOnlyCPR.org.

From WFTV: the best SCA vs AMI explanation I've seen in the media

Cardiac Concerns: Saving Kids from Sudden Death

FLORIDA — WHAT CAUSES SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST:Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. If this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. SCA is not the same as a heart attack. A heart attack occurs if blood flow to part of the heart muscle is blocked. During a heart attack, the heart usually doesn't suddenly stop beating. SCA, however, may happen after or during recovery from a heart attack. People who have heart disease are at higher risk for SCA. However, SCA can happen in people who appear healthy and have no known heart disease or other risk factors for SCA. Certain diseases and conditions can cause the electrical problems that lead to SCA. Examples include coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease; severe physical stress; certain inherited disorders; and structural changes in the heart. (Source: nhlbi.nih.gov)

SIGNS OF SCA: Usually, the first sign of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is loss of consciousness (fainting). At the same time, no heartbeat (or pulse) can be felt. Some people may have a racing heartbeat or feel dizzy or light-headed just before they faint. Within an hour before SCA, some people have chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea (feeling sick to the stomach), or vomiting. (Source: nhlbi.nih.gov)

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT: If you’ve already had SCA, you’re at high risk of having it again. Research shows that an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) reduces the chances of dying from a second SCA. If you’re at high risk for a first SCA, your doctor may prescribe a type of medicine called a beta blocker to help lower your risk for SCA. Other treatments for CHD, such as angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting, also may lower your risk for SCA. If you have no known risk factors for SCA, CHD seems to be the cause of most SCAs in adults. CHD also is a major risk factor for angina (chest pain or discomfort) and heart attack, and it contributes to other heart problems. Following a healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise can help you lower your risk for CHD, SCA, and other heart problems. Also, try quitting smoking, losing weight, and treating other issues like high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes. To treat SCA, defibrillation is needed within minutes to keep them alive. You should give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to a person having SCA until defibrillation can be done. People who are at risk for SCA may want to consider having an AED at home. If you survive SCA, you'll likely be admitted to a hospital for ongoing care and treatment. In the hospital, your medical team will closely watch your heart. They may give you medicines to try to reduce the risk of another SCA. (Source: nhlbi.nih.gov)