A heart attack occurs when you have a blood clot that interrupts your blood flow to a section of the heart. A SCA is an electrical malfunction in your heart. This triggers a dangerous heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that will disrupt blood flow to your heart, brain and other organs. Only about 10% of the people who have sudden cardiac arrest live long enough to get to the hospital.

Over 50,000 Americans suffer SCA every year. If your doctor has warned you about elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure or even other cardiovascular risk factors you could be setting yourself up for a heart attack. The same conditions can also mean that you’re at risk for SCA. SCA is truly a sleuth killer because you have no symptoms. If you abuse drugs or alcohol you are at greater risk for SCA. When someone suffers SCA, the only symptoms that occur simultaneously are sudden collapse, loss of consciousness, stopped breathing and no a detectable pulse.

Sometimes other symptoms occur before sudden cardiac arrest. These might include:

Chest discomfort

Shortness of breath

Weakness

Fast beating, fluttering or pounding heart called palpitations

But sudden cardiac arrest often occurs with no warning.

Studies show that if CPR is used out of the hospital during an emergency the chances of surviving are greatly increased. Keeping your blood flow active, even partially will extend the opportunity for a successful resuscitation once a trained medical person arrives. More than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States per year, out of which 70% happen inside homes. Ninety percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest die prior to reaching a hospital or a medical care facility.

Cardiac problems are not uncommon medical emergencies. Cardiac problems can occur at any time and place. Even someone that appears healthy can suffer cardiac arrest or a similar condition. It’s helpful for not only you but also others around you to learn CPR. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, about 18% of people aged 65 and over that received CPR before they got to the hospital survived and were discharged.

When you should use CPR:

Heart attack

Electric shock

Drowning

Suffocation

Drug overdose

When you see something has gone wrong this is what The American Red Cross recommends:

Check the scene and the person. Make sure the scene is safe, then tap the person on the shoulder and shout, “Are you OK?” to ensure that the person needs help.

Call 911 for assistance. If it’s evident that the person needs help, call (or ask a bystander to call) 911, then send someone to get an AED. (If an AED is unavailable, or a there is no bystander to access it, stay with the victim, call 911 and begin administering assistance.)

Open the airway. With the person lying on his or her back, tilt the head back slightly to lift the chin.

Check for breathing. Listen carefully, for no more than 10 seconds, for sounds of breathing. (Occasional gasping sounds do not equate to breathing.) If there is no breathing, begin CPR.

Push hard, push fast. Place your hands, one on top of the other, in the middle of the chest. Use your body weight to help you administer compressions that are at least two inches deep and delivered at a rate of at least 100 compressions per minute.There are a few mistakes people make when doing CPR. The most common mistakes committed when performing CPR are not giving deep enough compressions, as well as, giving too slow or fast compressions. Even healthcare professionals fail in the process because they either don’t push fast or deep enough.

Once you begin CPR, do not stop except in one of these situations:

Physical fatigue

You see an obvious sign of life, such as breathing

An AED is available and ready to use

Another trained responder or EMS personnel take over

The scene becomes unsafe