What is SCA?
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. If this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. |
SCA usually causes brain injury if it’s not treated within 3 minutes, and death if its not treated within 5 minutes if a combination of chest compresssions (CPR) and defibrillation do not occur.
What is ventricular fibrillation? Ventricular fibrillation is the fatal rhythm that causes sudden cardiac arrest. The heart instantly goes from a normal heart rhythm to a chaotic rhythm called ventricular fibrillation. When the heart goes into VF, the pulse and blood pressure is instantly lost and the person loses consciousness in a few seconds. The only effective treatment is an electric shock across the chest and through the heart. A shock, if delivered in time, can convert the fatal rhythm of VF back to a normal heart rhythm. An AED is a device that automatically analyses the heart’s rhythm and can deliver a shock if VF is present. The reported overall survival-to-admission rate in recent local studies ranged from 12.7% to 14.6%, while the survival-to-discharge rate ranged from 1.25% to 3.0%.
In the first few minutes after OHCA, rapid implementation of five critical actions including early access, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), rapid and effective defibrillation, early advanced life support, and comprehensive post-cardiac arrest care can strengthen the “chain of survival” |
The survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is low in Hong Kong. |
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Rapid defibrillation with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by non-paramedics will improve chances of survival. |
The successful delivery of Defibrillators for cardiac arrest patients outside hospitals depends on a chain of factors including adequate number of AEDs in the community, close proximity of the AED to the site, knowledge of bystanders in Basic Life Support and how to use AED. Lastly and most importantly, the willingness of bystanders to use AED.
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