Sudden Cardiac Arrest

 The most common electrophysiologic mechanisms leading to SCD are tachyarrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation (VF) or ventricular tachycardia (VT). Interruption of tachyarrhythmias, using either an automatic external defibrillator (AED) or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), has been shown to be an effective treatment for VF and VT. The implantable defibrillator has become the central therapeutic factor in the prevention and treatment of sudden cardiac death.

 Patients with tachyarrhythmias, especially VT, carry the best overall prognosis among patients with sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).Of the 4176 SCAs, 1255 (30%) occurred in public areas, with a highly clustered distribution of SCAs, especially in areas containing major train stations (12% of SCAs in 0.75% of the Paris area). The association with population density was poor, with a nonsignificant increase in SCAs with population density (P=0.4). Occurrence of public SCAs was, in contrast, highly associated with population movements (P<0.001).

  CPR: Immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is critical to treating sudden cardiac arrest. By maintaining a flow of oxygen-rich blood to the body's vital organs, CPR can provide a vital link until more advanced emergency care is available. Ongoing Research is being done at cardiac centres.