Facts About Sudden Cardiac Arrest
- Every year thousands of people die from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)
- More than 50% of all cardiac deaths are caused by sudden cardiac arrest
- The average response time of an ambulance is 7 to 10 minutes minimum
- In 80% of the cases, SCA is caused by a chaotic fast heart rhythm called Ventricular Fibrillation – VF. This chaotic fast rhythm can only be stopped by an external or internal electroshock (defibrillation).
- Chance of surviving decreases 7-10% every minute without treatment
- Shockingly, NSW survival rates are far behind other developed cities – Seattle 56%, London 32%, NSW 10%
- Seattle has achieved this impressive feat by providing extensive CPR training to the public, rolling out a network of publicly accessible defibrillators and creating a cardiac arrest registry