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SCAA honors San Diego Project Heart Beat with 2009 Public Service Award

October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) honored San Diego Project Heart Beat with the 2009 Public Service Award for its work to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), prevent sudden cardiac death and improve cardiovascular health.

12 Oct 2009

SCAA to host Survivor Celebration event to mark SCA Awareness Month

A nationwide gathering of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors will mark SCA Awareness Month with a Survivor Celebration on Friday, October 9th at 7 p.m. in Chicago. This survivor event, hosted by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue in Rosemont, is part of three-day program that will make up the organization’s annual meeting.

9 Oct 2009

Therapeutic hypothermia after CPR improves survival and lessens brain damage

Cooling a person's body within six hours of cardiac arrest with successful CPR might improve survival and lessen brain damage, according to a new Cochrane review.

9 Oct 2009

70% of Americans underestimate the seriousness of SCA

More than 250,000 deaths occur each year as a result of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In fact, SCA claims one life every two minutes, taking more lives each year than breast cancer, lung cancer or AIDS. Yet, according to a recent survey issued by the Heart Rhythm Society, more than 70 percent of Americans not only underestimate the seriousness of SCA, but also believe SCA is a type of heart attack.

3 Oct 2009

ZOLL Medical wins U.S. Defense defibrillator contract

ZOLL Medical Corporation, a manufacturer of resuscitation devices and related software solutions, announced today that it has been awarded a follow-on contract for Airworthy CCT defibrillators by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency. If fully exercised, the potential revenue from the contract could approximate $30 million. The services that can order units against this contract are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies.

1 Oct 2009

Continuous chest compressions during CPR improve survival rates during cardiac arrest

Maximizing the proportion of time spent performing chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) substantially improves survival in patients who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting, according to a multicenter clinical study that included UT Southwestern Medical Center.

29 Sep 2009

Cardiovascular disease: Major cause of death in Europe

Despite the decline of heart disease mortality registered in the past 30 years, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the N.1 killer in Europe and in the World. In the EU, experts reveal that striking disparities still exist between countries not only in terms of CVD incidence, but also with regard to national prevention policies.

25 Sep 2009

Oxygen Biotherapeutics submits a patent application for its heart attack treatment device

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc. today announced that the company has submitted a patent application for a new invention that uses Oxycyte(R) perfluorocarbon to deliver oxygen as a first aid treatment for victims of heart attacks and strokes. Oxycyte is the Company's perfluorocarbon (PFC) therapeutic oxygen carrier.

24 Sep 2009

Intubation training could help improve emergency care

Virtually anyone has the skills to safely insert a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) to keep a patient's airway open during resuscitation, and medical expertise isn't required - perhaps just a familiarity with ER, House or Grey's Anatomy.

22 Sep 2009

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation launches second video awareness contest on YouTube

To celebrate National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month in October, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation today announced the launch of its second 'You Can Save a Life(TM)' video awareness contest on YouTube.

16 Sep 2009

Education and cardiac defibrillators can boost survival rates

More widespread availability of defibrillators and education of the general public could boost survival rates fourfold amongst athletes suffering cardiac arrest, a study has found. In less than half of cases, a bystander initiated cardiopulmonary reanimation. This is crucial as survival at hospital admission is 4 times higher when CPR is attempted and 10 times greater when an electric shock is delivered.

2 Sep 2009

Uncontrolled NHBDs could help counter the shortage of kidney grafts in France

A pilot study of a system for harvesting kidneys from non-heart-beating donors where attempts of resuscitation after a witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have failed (uncontrolled NHBDs) resulted in 21 successful kidney transplants - a 10% increase in the transplantation rate - over 17 months.

28 Aug 2009

Cardiac Science Corporation installs 195 Powerheart AED G3 devices in Atlanta Public School

Cardiac Science Corporation, a global leader in automated external defibrillator (AED) and diagnostic cardiac monitoring devices, announced the expansion of the largest AED deployment of any school system in Georgia with 195 Powerheart AED G3 devices from Cardiac Science.

26 Aug 2009

FDA approves new model of ZOLL's LifeVest wearable defibrillator

ZOLL Medical Corporation (Nasdaq GS: ZOLL), a manufacturer of resuscitation devices and related software solutions, has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market and sell a new model of the LifeVest® wearable defibrillator.

25 Aug 2009

Therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest is cost-effective

A brain-preserving cooling treatment called therapeutic hypothermia is a cost-effective way to improve outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, which claims the lives of more than 300,000 people each year in the United States and leaves thousands of others neurologically devastated.

6 Aug 2009

Nine-year-olds can and should learn CPR

Nine-year-olds can and should learn CPR. A study of 147 schoolchildren, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care, has shown that, although the smallest may lack the requisite strength, the knowledge of how to perform basic life support is well retained by young children.

30 Jul 2009

Epigenetic modulation at birth - altered DNA-methylation in white blood cells after Caesarean section

Swedish researchers have discovered that babies born by Caesarean section experience changes to the DNA pool in their white blood cells, which could be connected to altered stress levels during this method of delivery, according to the July issue of Acta Paediatrica.

30 Jun 2009

Sen. Kennedy circulates draft of health reform legislation

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is circulating an outline of health care overhaul legislation that includes a requirement that all individuals obtain coverage and requires contributions from employers, the Washington Post reports.

31 May 2009

Pledges to reduce health care costs, spending growth could violate antitrust laws, lawyers say

U.S. antitrust laws could affect health care industry groups' efforts to work together to rein in health care costs, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 5/27).

27 May 2009

Mock CPR drills in kids show many residents fail in key skills

Research from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center exposes alarming gaps in training hospital residents in "first response" emergency treatment of staged cardiorespiratory arrests in children, while at the same time offering a potent recipe for fixing the problem.

18 May 2009