What is a SCA?
A Sudden Cardiac Arrest is “a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. Survival depends on calling 911, starting CPR, and using an AED as soon as possible.”
Over 356,000 people in the US experience an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest (OHSCA) each year, including 23,000 youth under the age of 18.
SCA Statistics
About 35% of OHSCAs are witnessed but bystanders perform CPR only 1/3 of the time and use an AED less than 2% of the time.
Racial justice issue -- in public settings, the rate of bystander CPR is 41% lower when the victim is Black or Hispanic.
COVID impact – since the pandemic, the survival rate has gone down since there now is a longer delay for bystanders to initiate CPR and fewer bystanders use AEDs.
Over 15% of OHSCAs happen in public, where people are less likely to step in.
SCA Statistics in MA
The survival rate of SCA’s in Massachusetts is only 3-5%, which is well below the national average of 10%.
One reason for Massachusetts’ concerning statistics is that it is one of only a few states that doesn’t require CPR and AED training for students graduating from high school. When students don’t learn this skill as children, they maybe won’t know the importance of knowing it as adults.
What is an AED/why is it crucial for survival of cardiac arrests?
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a medical device that is easy to use yet very sophisticated, and it is used to save people that are having a cardiac arrest. It can restart a person’s heart by delivering an electrical shock to their heart when it is needed and re-establishing a normal heart rhythm.
The only way to survive a sudden cardiac is to receive prompt CPR and defibrillation from an AED.
CPR alone “buys time” for the victim; AED usage may restart the victim’s heart.
The chance of survival can be even higher – 50% or more – when bystanders provide CPR and use an AED.
Why should businesses have an AED?
Cardiac arrests can happen anywhere, regardless of a person’s age or previous medical history. They can come without warning. They can happen to the business' employees too.
People that work in highly laborious and physically demanding jobs jobs have a much higher risk of cardiac arrest, so businesses should have an AED to save their employees if there is an emergency.
For businesses that host large groups of people (like stadiums, schools, churches, restaurants, theaters, hotels, airports, and malls), there is an even greater need to have an AED because there is a higher likelihood of one of their patrons having heart issues than a small business because they serve more people.
It was shown by The Resuscitation Outcome Consortium that OHSCA survival in a workplace increases from 15% to 22% if an AED is used.