June is National CPR/AED Awareness Month! The Clock is Ticking

June is National CPR/AED Awareness Month!

2 minutes and 59 seconds sounds like plenty of time... you could pop a bag of popcorn, unload a dishwasher, watch a TV commercial or even cook Ramen. Did you know that you have 3 minutes to 'drop to shock' once someone collapses from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)? Defibrillation within 3 minutes increases the chance of survival to over 70%.¹ The rule of thumb is 1 ½ minutes to get to the AED, and 1 minute to return to the victim. ² The clock is ticking and there are only 2:59 minutes to act! Join us in celebrating National CPR/AED Awareness Month by supporting L4Z's mission to donate and place AED's in the community. Remember, the clock is ticking...

SCA is a leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more than 350,000 lives per year.³ This is more than the number of people who die from AIDS, Alzheimer’s Disease, breast, prostate and colon cancer, fires and motor vehicle accidents combined. ⁴ SCA is a sudden or unexpected cessation of heart function. When this occurs, the heart’s electrical impulses suddenly become chaotic and ineffective. Blood flow to the brain abruptly stops and the victim collapses and quickly loses consciousness. Death usually follows unless a normal heart rhythm is restored within minutes. ⁵ A heart attack is not the same as SCA. In simple terms, a heart attack is a ‘plumbing’ problem caused when a vessel becomes clogged. SCA is an ‘electrical’ problem.⁵ Click here to view an infograph depicting the difference between SCA and a heart attack.

Here is a list of warning signs and symptoms of SCA. Consult a physician promptly if you or someone you know has one or more of these signs and/or symptoms : ⁶

• Fainting of seizure during or after physical activity 
• Fainting or seizure resulting from emotional excitement, distress or startle 
• Chest pain or discomfort/ racing heartbeat 
• Unexplained fainting or seizures 
• Family history of heart disease 
• Unusual shortness of breath 
• Unusual fatigue/tiredness 
• Dizziness/ lightheadedness during or after physical activity 
• Family history of unexpected sudden death during physical activity or during a seizure, or any other unexplained sudden death of an otherwise healthy family member under age 50 

SCA is more common than you think, and it can happen to anyone at any time.  Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a combination of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions that delivers oxygen and artificial circulation to a person whose heart has stopped. Anyone can learn CPR - and everyone should! Sadly, 70% of Americans may feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency. This alarming statistic could hit close to home, because home is exactly where 88% of sudden cardiac arrests occur. Put very simply: The life you save with CPR is mostly likely to be someone you love.⁷

For every minute that defibrillation is delayed, survival decreases by 10%.⁷ An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) administers an electric shock through the chest wall to the heart. Built-in computers assess the patient's heart rhythm Built-in computers assess the patient's heart rhythm, judge whether defibrillation is needed, and then administer an appropriate level of shock. ⁸   Audible and/or visual prompts guide the user through the process. Defibrillation stops ventricular fibrillation using an electrical shock and allows the return of a normal heart rhythm. It is the only known treatment for ventricular fibrillation. They do not require the user to make decisions or interpret symptoms. Anyone can learn how to respond to life-threatening emergency and use an AED. ⁵

1. www.aedlocator.org 
2. www.schoolhealth.com 
3. www.hrsonline.org 
4. www.aed.com
5. “Working Against Time” published by the American Heart Association 
6. www.parentheartwatch.org 
7. www.heart.org 
8. www.emergencycareforyou.org

What are your Sudden Cardiac Arrest Risks?

Living for Zachary speaks alot about how sudden cardiac arrest can strike anyone at any age, but what are the factors that can increase your risk?

First, there are a few risk factors that you have no control over such as:

• Family history of coronary artery disease. 
• Family history of cardiac arrest. 
• Family or personal history of abnormal heart rhythm. 

Then, there are a number of factors individuals can have some level of control over or work to manage. These include:

• Smoking 
• Obesity 
• Diabetes 
• High blood pressure 
• High cholesterol 
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Illegal drug use, especially cocaine and amphetamines 

Individuals who have suffered previous incidents of cardiac arrest or a heart attack are also at higher risk for a repeat incident. Men over 45 and women over 55 are at increased risk.

Darby, Justin. "Risk Factors of Sudden Cardiac Arrest." www.aed.com

Heidi Stewart and her SCA Survival Story

Around this time of the year, many students are preparing for graduation. Students are taking their senior photos at special locations in their cities, compiling lists for graduation invites and crossing their fingers to finish finals and get on with the rest of their life… it’s a typical graduation story.

Heidi Stewart’s story is anything but typical.

On February 12, Stewart was helping students hang pink paper hearts around school hallways for Valentine’s Day. As she was walking down the hall to the school office, she began to grow weary and feel herself passing out.

The school nurse was called and rushed to the collapsed Stewart with an automated external defibrillator (AED) as emergency services were called. While the Associate Principal and Dean of Students began prepping for the AED by performing chest compressions, Heidi’s parents were called—the devastating call that no parent ever wants to receive.

For eight minutes, Heidi was clinically dead. Her youthful body was shutting down as she began gasping for another breath of fresh air while blood was coming from her mouth.

After continued CPR and shocks from the automated external defibrillator (AED), Heidi was revived and brought back to life, although she couldn’t immediately see her rescuers. Her vision later returned.

HeidiStewart’s story is one of many like her, a healthy young adult, actively involved with little health complications. Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can strike any, and is increasingly attacking young adults and athletes.

Had it not been for the donated automated external defibrillator (AED), Heidi might not have been able to enjoy the celebration of four years of high school.

Be alert and aware and have your family and encourage your friends to have their heart screened for potentially fatal heart disease and complications.

Another reason for an AED

An inspirational story from Allegheny County in Pennsylvania where the quick actions of a neighbor and emergency services saved the life of Roland “Mike” Dulaney when he fell victim to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

A neighbor had just finished Christmas dinner with his family when he received a call regarding the collapse of a 62-year-old man nearby. He alerted medical professionals, asking them to bring an automated defibrillator (AED) to the scene, and then rushed over to his neighbors house where he found the man unconscious on the dining room floor.

The neighbor performed CPR while rescuers from emergency services stepped in with the AED. They followed him, while providing advanced life support, to a nearby hospital.

Rates jump from a survival rate of 10 percent to 40 percent with an AED is used before medical services arrives so the neighbors actions were critical in the survivial of Roland Dulaney.

“It was a humbling experience,” said the neighbor.  It was a Christmas miracle.

For more information on how your youth organization can get an AED - visit the Living for Zachary AED Donation page and apply for a lifesaving AED today. 

Make a Difference: Help Raise SCA Awareness in October

Sudden Cardiac Awareness is Living for Zachary's main objective. We encourage and support Heart Screening and AED use.

Living for Zachary is a non-profit organization [(501 (c) (3) 80-0410066] with a mission dedicated to saving young lives from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The organization was founded in honor of Zachary Schrah, who was only 16 years old when he collapsed during a high school football practice in Plano on April 2, 2009. After Zachary’s death, the Living for Zachary Organization was established to raise SCA awareness of undiagnosed heart issues in teens. 

Congress declared October "National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month." Four years and many useless deaths later many still do not understand that SCA is different from a Heart Attack and affects more than 1,000 people every single day. 1 in 10 SCA victims survive.

Help Living for Zachary raise SCA Awareness by either Volunteering for Living for Zachary, or  Donating to Living for Zachary or Sponsor one of our Living for Zachary events.