Sudden Cardiac Arrest

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the leading cause of death in youth sports athletes, with reports suggesting that about 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 80,000 young athletes die of sudden cardiac death each year. (Mayo Clinic)

2. Use of an AED and defibrillate as quickly as possible is imperative. There is a 10% decline in survival rate for every minute that goes by without a shock from an AED after the time of collapse. (Larsen et al. 1993)

3. Compression only CPR has been shown to be more effective than conventional CPR for untrained bystanders. (Cabrini et al. 2010) However, conventional CPR has been shown to have better outcomes in selected groups, such as those with arrests of non-cardiac origin and younger people. (Ogawa et al. 2011)

TAKE HOME: Being prepared to act quickly when sudden cardiac arrest occurs, executing an emergency action plan, and early defibrilation are vital to giving victims the best chance of survival.