Sudden cardiac arrest is among the leading causes of death in the U.S., and this year alone, more than 350,000 people will experience cardiac arrest. In the hospital setting, defibrillators are used to deliver a jolt of electricity to the person's chest to get the heart beating again. Outside of the hospital, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are portable devices that are used to revive someone suffering cardiac arrest. AEDs can be found in many public places and don’t require any special training to use. However, knowing where to look for them and how to use them could potentially help save someone’s life.

Dr. Alice Gallo De Moraes is chair of Mayo Clinic's Medical Emergency Response Subcommittee, which oversees all cardiac arrests and rapid response at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She wants people to feel empowered to use these lifesaving devices.

Watch: How to use an AED

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (2:24) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"I really want people not to be afraid to use an AED because applying an AED to someone who has collapsed and doesn't have a pulse can actually save their life and save their life in a way that they won't have long-lasting consequences," says Dr. Gallo De Moraes.

How to use an AED

If someone has fainted and might need an AED:

• Check to see if the person is breathing and has a pulse.
• If you cannot feel a pulse and the person is not breathing, call for emergency help. If there are other people present, one person can call 911 while the other prepares the AED. If you're alone, call 911 or emergency services first to make sure help is on the way.
• Turn on the AED. The automated external defibrillator gives you step-by-step voice instructions. It will tell you how to check for breathing and pulse and how to position electrode pads on the person's bare chest.
• Deliver the shock. When the pads are in place, the AED automatically measures the person's heart rhythm and determines if a shock is needed. If it is, the machine tells the user to stand back and push a button to deliver the shock. The AED is programmed not to deliver a shock if a shock isn't needed.
• Start CPR. Begin CPR after the shock is delivered if CPR is still needed. The AED also will guide users through CPR. The process can be repeated as needed until emergency crews take over.

Dr. Gallo De Moraes says CPR is the most important thing to do after the shock of the AED is delivered.

"Once you start chest compressions, the AED will give you a countdown clock for two minutes, and it will remind you to stop compressions at two minutes so it can analyze again," says Dr. Gallo De Moraes.

She says if the audio instructions are followed, there’s no way to further hurt or injure someone by using an AED.

AED devices are often found in public places, such as schools, sports stadiums and airports, and are also carried by emergency medical services. AEDs should be in easily accessible and visible locations where they can quickly be retrieved in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest. Signs with the AED heart-shaped symbol should be located above where the devices are located.

The post Automated external defibrillators: How to use an AED appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've heard about several people who have experienced sudden cardiac arrest. What is cardiac arrest? And how is it different from a heart attack? What do you do for someone who has this condition?

ANSWER: Cardiac arrest, or sudden cardiac arrest as it is more formally known, is a medical emergency. Think of it as a problem with the heart's electrical activity. This synchronized electrical activity allows the heart to fill and pump blood normally. Sudden cardiac arrest can happen unexpectedly and quickly, and the heart stops working. It's not the same as a heart attack, but it is just as critical that treatment occurs rapidly.

Cardiac arrest is when the heart cannot fulfill its duties, such as pumping oxygenated blood around the body to reach critical areas such as the brain and the rest of the body. It is sometimes called “sudden” because it seems to happen without warning. A person suddenly loses all heart activity, stops breathing and becomes unconscious. Without immediate treatment, sudden cardiac arrest can lead to death.

What causes cardiac arrest?

There are two types of ways a person has a cardiac arrest. The first is when no electrical activity stimulates the top or bottom of the heart muscle to squeeze. The second is when the heart's electrical activity is no longer synchronized and efficient but is chaotic and unable to pump blood. This is called ventricular fibrillation. Rapid, erratic heart signals cause the lower heart chambers to quiver uselessly instead of pumping blood. Certain heart conditions can make you more likely to have this heartbeat problem. Sudden cardiac arrest also can happen in people with no known heart disease.

What is the difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack?

When someone has a heart attack, it's more of a plumbing problem. The major arteries that supply the heart with blood and oxygen get plugged up with a clot, causing a block in flow. The heart tissues are not getting oxygenated blood, so those tissues could die. Over time, this can lead to electrical problems like ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac arrest. In some instances, scar tissue after a heart attack can cause changes to one's heartbeat. When someone has a sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death, it could be a manifestation of a heart attack. But sudden cardiac arrest doesn't mean you necessarily have heart blockages.

Who is at risk of cardiac arrest?

The same heart conditions that increase the risk of heart disease can raise the risk of sudden cardiac arrest, including:

• Coronary artery disease.
  When cholesterol builds up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart — hardening and narrowing the path — it's known as coronary artery disease. The most common symptom is chest discomfort.
• Cardiomyopathy.
  Cardiomyopathy means there is something wrong with the heart muscle itself. This condition can be genetic. A common form is called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. The heart muscle is not normal and is thicker.
• Heart valve disease.
  In heart valve disease, one or more of the valves in your heart doesn't work properly. Leaking or narrowing of the heart valves can lead to stretching or thickening of the heart muscle. When the chambers become enlarged or weakened because of stress caused by a tight or leaking valve, there's an increased risk of developing a heart rhythm problem (electrical disturbance).
• Congenital heart defect.
  Sudden cardiac arrest in children or adolescents often is due to an electrical or structural heart problem that they're born with. Adults with a prior surgical repair for a congenital heart defect have an increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
• Long QT syndrome (LQTS) and other heart electrical signaling diseases.
  Conditions such as long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy can cause a risk of developing ventricular fibrillation. If the heart rhythm isn't quickly restored, sudden death can occur. Young people with LQTS are especially at risk of sudden death.

What do I do if I see someone in cardiac arrest?

Survival is possible for a person in cardiac arrest, but time is crucial. It is important to restore the rhythm as fast as possible with CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED). Always call 911, but you can assist until help arrives.

A cardiac arrest could happen wherever and whenever in life — in a mall, at school or work. If someone passes out, you want to ensure they are breathing, have a pulse, and their heart is pumping. If their heart is not pumping, then start emergent CPR. Push hard and fast on the person's chest — about 100 to 120 pushes a minute.

Often you will see AED machines hanging in hallways at a school, the office, in a restaurant or a stadium. Many people are familiar with them from TV, where patients are shocked by the device back into a normal rhythm.

Many people are nervous to use an AED because they are not medical professionals, but the device is meant for bystanders. The machine guides the user. It will recognize that the patient is not in a good rhythm. It will tell you to shock the heart.

The goal is to stabilize the patient by getting them back to a normal rhythm. This will restore blood flow to critical parts of the body, especially the heart and brain. — Dr. Christopher DeSimone, Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: What is cardiac arrest? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

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The post Cardiac Arrest: Mayo Clinic Radio appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Every day more than a thousand people in the United States experience sudden cardiac arrest and it kills several hundred thousand people every year. On the next Mayo Clinic Radio, Saturday, June 14, at 9 am CT, Roger White, M.D., will join us to discuss what happens to your heart during cardiac arrest. What should you do to help until an ambulance arrives? Where can you learn CPR? How do you use an automatic external defibrillator? We'll find out the answers to these questions and more on the next program. Join us!

Myth or Fact:  Perform CPR before you use an AED when you suspect someone is having a cardiac arrest.

To hear the program LIVE on Saturday, click here.
Follow #MayoClinicRadio and tweet your questions.
Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeart Radio.

Listen to this week’s Medical News Headlines: News Segment 2 June 15, 2014 (right click MP3)  

Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic. The show is taped for rebroadcast by some affiliates.

For future topics, click on Upcoming Programs.
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The post MAYO CLINIC RADIO appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Every day more than a thousand people in the United States experience sudden cardiac arrest and it kills several hundred thousand people every year. On the next Mayo Clinic Radio, Saturday, June 14, at 9 am CT, Roger White, M.D., will join us to discuss what happens to your heart during cardiac arrest.  What should you do to help until an ambulance arrives?  Where can you learn CPR?  How do you use an automatic external defibrillator? We'll find out the answers to these questions and more on the next program.  Join us!

Myth or Fact:  Perform CPR before you use an AED when you suspect someone is having a cardiac arrest.

For the transcript of the #SummerHealth Twitter chat, click here.

Follow #MayoClinicRadio and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeart Radio.

Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic. The show is taped for rebroadcast by some affiliates.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Cardiac Arrest appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.