What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)?

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) occurs when the heart's electrical system malfunctions.  In ventricular fibrillation, the electrical signals in the lower part of the heart are uncoordinated and ineffective. Very little blood is pumped from the heart to the body or the lungs. If ventricular fibrillation is not treated, it will result in Cardiac Arrest, and ultimately, death. 

SCA is not a heart attack. A heart attack occurs when a blockage in a blood vessel interrupts the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart, causing heart muscle to die.  So, if a heart can be compared to a house, SCA occurs when there is an electrical problem and a heart attack, when the problem is the plumbing.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) claims the lives of more than 450,000 Americans every year, including an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 children and young adults. This is the real tragedy of SCA – the child victim. SCA has been recognized since 1954 as a killer of young people and still poses a threat with the medical profession learning little about the causes. The public is remarkably unaware about this threat; education and awareness are the keys to better detection of the causes and prevention of the tragic outcomes. Andrew Helgeson, the epitome of health, fell victim to this killer at 18 years of age, without warning and without symptoms.

SCA describes a situation in which the heart abruptly and without warning stops working, so no blood can be pumped to the rest of the body. The most common cause of SCA is a heart rhythm disorder or arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation. The heart has a built-in electrical system. In a healthy heart a "pacemaker" triggers the heartbeat and electrical impulses run along pathways in the heart, causing it to contract in a regular, rhythmic way. When a contraction happens, blood is pumped, but in ventricular fibrillation the electrical signals that control the pumping of the heart suddenly become rapid and chaotic. As a result the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles, begin to quiver (fibrillate) instead of contract, and they can no longer pump blood from the heart to the rest of the body. If blood cannot flow to the brain, it becomes starved of oxygen, and the person loses consciousness in seconds. Unless an emergency shock is delivered to the heart to restore its regular rhythm, using a defibrillator, death can occur within minutes. It is estimated that 75% to 90% of ventricular fibrillation victims die before reaching the hospital.

There are many different syndromes of the heart, electrical and anatomical, that cause SCA in youth.  There have been estimates of 10,000 or more children dying annually if all the subgroups are included.  SCA deaths are underreported and are generally attributed to drownings, seizures, car accidents, and even natural causes. 

We need better education and recognition by doctors and coroners.  A National Registry of properly diagnosed SCA occurrences will provide the mechanism for greater awareness and the basis for necessity for research.

Symptoms of SCA:
    Heart Murmur
    Fainting
    Skipping or racing heartbeats
    High blood pressure
    Fast breathing
    Shortness of breath
    Tiring easily during exercise or activity
    Chest pain
    Stomach ache
    Bluish tint to skin, lips, and fingernails.