SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH: A GLOBAL PREDICAMENT
By Dr. Ritesh G. Menezes1 , Dr. Sadip Pant2 and Dr. S. Senthilkumaran3
INTRODUCTION Sudden cardiac death (SCD) describes the unexpected natural death from a cardiac cause within a short time period, generally <1 hour from the onset of symptoms, in a person without any prior condition that would appear fatal. The event is referred to as sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) if an intervention (e.g., defibrillation) or spontaneous reversion restores circulation and the event is called SCD if the patient dies. Most individuals suffering from SCA become unconscious
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within seconds to minutes as a result of insufficient cerebral blood flow. The survival rate of SCA is 5% in USA and < 1% worldwide. The outcome following SCA depends upon numerous factors including the underlying cause and the rapidity of resuscitation.
EPIDEMIOLOGY SCA accounts for 63% of all cardiac deaths in the United States (US) and only after the deaths from all cancers combined does anything cause more deaths each
year than SCA. In absolute terms, the estimated number of SCDs in the US in 1999 was approximately 450,000 which means 1,200 deaths a day and one death
«Studies show that if early defibrillation is provided within the first minute, the odds are 90% that the victim’s life can be saved»
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