About SCD

Sudden Cardiac Death, sometimes referred to as Sudden Cardiac Arrest, is a failure in the heart's electrical system in which the heart stops suddenly and without warning. In the US, over 400,000 adults die each year from sudden cardiac arrest.

Sudden cardiac arrest differs from a heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, in that a myocardial infarction results when a part of the heart is starved of oxygen - called ischemia. This happens when a clot or blockage obstructs one of the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Sudden cardiac arrest is caused by life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. One of the most common arrhythmias is called ventricular fibrillation. This is when the lower chambers of the heart quiver and are incapable of pumping blood out to the rest of the body. A victim of sudden cardiac arrest immediately stops breathing, has little or no detectable pulse and, with no intervention, will die within minutes.

Most people who suffer from a ventricular arrhythmia have an underlying electrical disorder of the heart that can usually be detected by the Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA) Test.

Any one can be a victim of sudden cardiac arrest but some people are at greater risk.

These are people with:

• a previous history of cardiac arrest or life threatening ventricular arrhythmias
• documented heart disease and symptoms of possible arrhythmias such as fainting
• elevated risk including patients with
• congestive heart failure
• prior heart attack
• family history of sudden death and coronary artery disease.