Thank You!

Forty-five days into fundraising for the 2009 Santa Barbara North County Start! Heart Walk and there are so many caring people who I am grateful to for their generosity and thoughtfulness!!!  Thanks to all of you, as of today, the total amount is $1021.00!  Only a couple of more weeks until the walk! 

Thank you, to all of J's co-workers (when I say co-workers, I actually mean friends!) and to all family members, for all of your support; not only now, but throughout this last year. 

S

American Heart Association Fundraising Webpage: Why!?

I survived a heart attack on July 12, 2008 caused by a blood clot that formed in my heart. As a result of my experience, I have learned that heart disease is the #1 KILLER for WOMEN. While my heart attack was considered a random occurance, my wish is that we will all lead healthy lives and learn the warning signs for heart attack, as it is frequently misdiagnosed in women resulting in death. I am getting involved by participating in two American Heart Association's (AHA) Start! Heart Walk's. The first walk is in September located in Santa Maria, California. The second walk is in October in San Luis Obispo, California.

Please support this cause by making a donation in any amount you are able, that will help provide cardiac research and education to stop our No. 1 (female) and No. 3 (male) killers.

1. Donation(s) are tax deductible (now there's a silver lining!)
2. Your employer might match donations; find out here: http://www.matchinggifts.com/aha/

I have fundraised in the past (for Special Olympics, collecting donations and running) however, surviving a heart attack and now being able to participate with the AHA in a Heart Walk is an amazing feeling. I'm obviously not the only person affected by cardiovascular problems, I, like many others, know so many people who are all too familiar with heart disease.

If you haven't heard my personal story and you want to hear it, just ask me. Knowing the signs could save a life!

Thank you for taking the time to read this information!

* I have declined any prizes associated with funds raised for participating in either walk.

Heart Attack vs. Cardiac Arrest

Heart attack vs. cardiac arrest: Reports indicating a Michael Jackson cardiac arrest generated much interest in the difference between sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and a heart attack.

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), a heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle itself — the myocardium — is severely reduced or stopped. The reduction or stoppage happens when one or more of the coronary arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle is blocked. This is usually caused by the buildup of plaque (deposits of fat-like substances), a process called atherosclerosis. The plaque can eventually burst, tear or rupture, creating a "snag" where a blood clot forms and blocks the artery. This leads to a heart attack.

If the blood supply is cut off for more than a few minutes, muscle cells suffer permanent injury and die. This can kill or disable someone, depending on how much heart muscle is damaged.

Sometimes a coronary artery temporarily contracts or goes into spasm. When this happens the artery narrows and blood flow to part of the heart muscle decreases or stops. We're not sure what causes a spasm. A spasm can occur in normal-appearing blood vessels as well as in vessels partly blocked by atherosclerosis. A severe spasm can cause a heart attack.

The medical term for heart attack is myocardial infarction. A heart attack is also sometimes called a coronary thrombosis or coronary occlusion.

The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association has an excellent cardiac arrest fact sheet available for download. They write,

"Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in the U.S., killing nearly 300,000 people each year. That’s more than the total death rate for breast cancer, lung cancer, and HIV/AIDS combined. SCA can strike persons of any age, gender, race, and even those who seem in good health, as evidenced by world class professional athletes at the peak of fitness.

During SCA, heart function ceases abruptly and without warning.

When this occurs, the heart is no longer able to pump blood to the rest of the body, and in over 90% of victims, death occurs. This is usually caused when the electrical impulses in the affected heart become rapid (ventricular tachycardia, or “VT”) or chaotic (ventricular fibrillation, or “VF”), or both.

These irregular heart rhythms are arrhythmias. The general public and media often mistakenly refer to SCA as a “massive heart attack.”

SCA is an electrical problem, whereby the arrhythmia prevents the heart from pumping blood to the brain and vital organs. There is an immediate cessation of the heart. In most cases, there are no warning signs or symptoms.

A heart attack is a “plumbing” problem caused by one or more blockages in the heart’s blood vessels, preventing proper flow, and the heart muscle dies. Symptoms include chest pain, radiating pain in left arm, between shoulder blades, and/or jaw, difficulty breathing, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and sweating. In some cases, a heart attack may lead to a sudden cardiac arrest event."

Media interest in cardiac arrest
The day after Michael Jackson's presumed sudden cardiac arrest death, cardiac arrest was discussed in all the major media, a (very slight) silver lining to Michael Jackson's tragic end, since sudden cardiac arrest awareness is frightfully low and publicly accessible defibrillation is also low.

The LA Times noted, "The L.A. County coroner’s office will determine a cause of death. A Los Angeles Fire Department source told The Times that Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when rescue units arrived."

USA Today wrote,
Q. What might have happened in Jackson's case?

A: Jackson most likely had ventricular fibrillation, an electrical disturbance of the heart that occurs when the heart begins beating 400 to 500 times a minute — much more than the normal 70 to 75 beats, says Douglas Zipes, emeritus professor at Indiana University School of Medicine and former president of the American College of Cardiology.

"When you look at the heart in ventricular fibrillation, it looks like a bag of squiggly worms," Zipes says. "The contractions are totally ineffective. ... Therefore, no blood is pumped to the brain, causing him to black out.

"The heart's pacemaker is the sinus node," Zipes says. "It is the conductor of the orchestra, coordinating the heart's electrical rhythm. When all the instruments are playing in a coordinated manner, the result is music. In ventricular fibrillation, it's as if the orchestra is warming up and what you hear is cacophony."

Q: What can you do for someone in cardiac arrest?

A: Sudden cardiac death occurs within minutes unless someone gets the heart working again, either through CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or with adefibrillator, which uses an electrical shock to get the heart pumping correctly.

Brain death begins in just four to six minutes, so restarting the heart quickly is vital, the American Heart Association says.

CPR can buy patients time until they can be shocked with a defibrillator, says Abhi Mehrotra, assistant professor of emergency medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. By compressing the chest, rescuers circulate blood and get oxygen to vital organs such as the brain.

A victim's chances of survival go down 7% to 10% every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation. Few people are revived after 10 minutes, the American Heart Association says.

Resuscitation from SCA
The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association writes, "When someone collapses from SCA, immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) are essential for any chance of recovery. As many as 30 to 50 percent would likely survive if CPR and AEDs were used within five minutes of collapse.

The AED analyzes the heart rhythm of the victim, and if necessary, a computerized command will instruct the user to press a button to deliver an appropriate shock to restore the normal operation of the heart. [The Powerheart AED G3 Plus Fully Automatic does not require a button press to deliver the shock; the AED delivers the shock automatically.]

These devices are failsafe and will not cause injury to the user, nor will they deliver a shock if none is needed. For patients in “VF”, studies show that if early defibrillation is provided within the first minute, the odds are 90 percent that the victim’s life can be saved. After that, the rate of survival drops ten percent with every minute.


Related Products

• Powerheart AED G3 Plus
• Powerheart AED G3 Fully Automatic and Semi-automatic
• Powerheart AED G3 Pro
• Powerheart AED G3 Trainer
• AED Program Management