Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. It can happen to people of all ages, even those who may seem to be healthy. Young adults, children and teenagers can also have a sudden cardiac arrest. Typically, when SCA happens, the person collapses and doesn’t respond or breathe normally. They may gasp or shake as if having a seizure. SCA leads to death in minutes if the person does not get help right away. Survival depends on people nearby calling 000 (or 112 globally from a mobile phone), starting CPR¹, and using an AED² (if available) as soon as possible.
Around the World, approximately 16,500 people die from sudden cardiac arrest every day, due to delayed access to a defibrillatr
¹CPR: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is when you push hard and fast on the centre of the chest to make the heart pump; compressions may be given with or without rescue breaths.
²AED: Automated external defibrillator is a device that analyses the heart and, if it detects a problem, may deliver a shock to restart the heart’s normal rhythm.