Sudden Cardiac Death - Basic Facts

• SCD is also called sudden cardiac arrest. It is not the same as a heart attack.
• Sudden cardiac death (SCD) causes half of all heart disease deaths.
• In SCD, electrical problems keep the heart from pumping the right way. Then, suddenly, the heart stops working. (In a heart attack, a blockage in blood vessels slows or stops blood flow.)
• Treating someone in SCD requires “paddles” to shock the heart.

Healthy Tip
SCD often occurs in people who appear healthy, which can make it difficult to know who is at risk. Learn the risk factors. Preventing the causes of SCD is the best way of preventing deaths from SCD.

Common Risk Factors

• Same as heart disease risk factors (high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, inactivity, overweight, smoking, poor diet)
• Clogged arteries (coronary artery disease) or previous heart attack
• Heart rhythm problems:
• An abnormal heart rate or rhythm of unknown cause
• An unusually rapid heart rate that comes and goes, even when the person is at rest
• Fainting for no know reason
• A low ejection fraction (a measure of how much blood pumps with each heartbeat)

Healthy Choice
Prevent, monitor and treat the conditions — like clogged arteries and heartbeat abnormalities (arrhythmias) — that can lead to SCD. Live a heart-healthy lifestyle, get regular check ups, and report any health concerns to a doctor.

Prevention

• A “heart healthy” lifestyle
• Medications to control abnormal heart rhythms or treat other conditions that contribute to heart disease or SCD
• Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) that detect and correct dangerous heart rhythms
• Catheter ablation to destroy small areas of heart muscle that give rise to the abnormal electrical signals that cause dangerous heart rhythms