A HEALTHY YOU
Raising Awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
October is National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month.
This is an opportunity to call attention to the danger of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and its warning signs. Sudden cardiac arrest happens suddenly and can strike anytime. This condition can be fatal if immediate medical attention is not provided. According to the American Heart Association, SCA is a leading cause of death — about 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the United States. Emergency medical care is required for this condition and if the heart is quickly restored, survival is possible.
It is common to use the term heart attack interchangeably with SCA, but the two conditions are not the same.
A heart attack is a circulation problem due to blockage of blood flow to the heart. In contrast, sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating due to an “electrical problem.” While very different, these two serious heart conditions are linked as sudden cardiac arrest can occur after a heart attack or during recovery. In addition, heart attacks do increase the risk for sudden cardiac arrest.
The American Heart Association (AHA) offers valuable resources on how to diagnose and treat SCA before arriving at the hospital as well as what tests to expect when hospitalized and the types of medications that might be prescribed. The AHA also provides access to a number of useful SCA Information Sheets about both treatment and recovery from this life threatening condition
Resource
The American Heart Association provides resources on diagnosing, treating, and recovering from SCA, including hospital tests, medications, and information sheets. Article by American Heart Association.
About the Author
Cynthia Conigliaro is the Sales and Marketing Director for Organizational Wellness and Learning Systems (OWLS), a consulting firm focused on employee emotional wellbeing and organizational culture analysis. For almost five years she has worked alongside the owner of OWLS to design and implement mental health related employee wellness trainings and workshops for organizations across the United States.
For almost 15 years she has had her own health and wellness coaching business. Cynthia works with individuals and groups and runs virtual and in person workshops for employees on a variety of health and wellness topics relating to both physical and mental health. She is an Infinite Possibilities Certified Trainer and a Resilience and Life Coach. She has been a volunteer with the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts (WWCMA) for the past 4 years where she sits on both the Programs Committee and the Marketing Committee. Cynthia has her Master of Social Work and her Master of Business Administration from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Spanish from College of the Holy Cross.
