Sudden Cardiac Arrest
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Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart stops beating suddenly and unexpectedly due to a malfunction in the heart’s electrical system. The malfunction that causes SCA is a life-threatening abnormal rhythm, or arrhythmia. The most common arrhythmia is ventricular fibrillation (VF).
When in VF, the heart’s rhythm is so chaotic (called “fibrillating”) that the heart merely quivers, and is unable to pump blood to the body and brain. These graphics show a heart with a normal rhythm and a heart experiencing ventricular fibrillation (VF). Once a heart has entered VF, sudden cardiac arrest occurs. A victim in SCA first loses his or her pulse, then consciousness, and finally the ability to breathe. All of this can happen quickly - in fact in a matter of seconds.
Sudden cardiac arrest strikes without warning.It knows no boundaries, claiming hundredsof thousands of lives around the world every year. People of all ages, fitness levels and walksof life succumb to it and most don’t survive.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Facts
- It strikes without warning, killing 250 people a day in the UK
- Less than 5% of its victims survive out of hospital in the UK
- It kills more people than lung or breast cancer
- It can happen to anyone - even young athletes
- Defibrillation is the only treatment
To find out more about Sudden Cardiac Arrest, please visit the Arrhythmia Alliance Sudden Cardiac Arrest Page