About half...

...of the people interviewed in 2007 know or were able to guess the difference between a sudden cardiac arrest and a heart attack.

When the score is that close to 50/50, usually folks are guessing.

It's important because immediate 911 and CPR. plus prompt defibrillation are essential to cardiac arrest survival with major brain function intact, and 911 is essential for a heart attack. The defibrillator won't hurt the heart attack victim, but CPR would be inappropriate and dangerous.

Fortunately, they are easy to tell apart, once you've been told the difference: The sudden cardiac arrest victim - the one that needs 911 + CPR + AED - is non-responsive and not breathing, either normally or at all.

If you are not trained, check the video at www.slicc.org/ClassVideo and then get the people whom you frequently are near trained, too.

It's a 35 minute video. There HAS to be a 35 minute slot available in your schedule sometime. You have about a ten percent of seeing a family member, friend, or acquaintance die from a sudden cardiac arrest in your lifetime. It would be better for all if you were to watch the video before that happens, rather than after.