by Margrette Butler

Created on: May 02, 2008

Sudden cardiac death is a major health issue that can terminate a life within a matter of minutes. In the United States 31,000 people die annually from coronary artery disease. This is approximately half of the total number of deaths reported, with most being caused by cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is an abrupt loss of heart function that leaves the major organs of the body struggling to maintain the proper oxygen levels to sustain life. If circulation is not reestablished within 4-6 minutes there is a good chance that the victim will not survive.

The grim statistics alert us to the fact that cardiac death is a major enemy and we must be prepared to do serious battle to win the fight! How then can we prepare ourselves for combat when our enemy seems to have gained such an advantage? Well known for unannounced attacks that hit silently and without warning, we have seemingly little recourse in forming a solid battle plan.

Sudden cardiac death can come without any warning signs of an impending attack. To understand the actual event process, we will take a short stroll in anatomy and physiology as it relates to the heart. The heart has four main chambers, interacting with one another and the major organs of the body. The two upper chambers of the heart are called the atrium and the two bottom chambers the ventricles. The right atrium contains a spot called the sino-atrial node that is responsible to initiate each heartbeat. The SA node sends an electrical impulse 60-100 times per minute that that in turn sends the heart through a cycle of contractions that pumps blood from the heart to supply needed oxygen and nutrients to the body system. This is the normal sequence of events, but with sudden cardiac death something in the system goes awry and a true emergency is then called into existence!

The ventricles, or lower chambers of the heart are designed to forcefully pump out blood routed to different portions of your body. The pressure reading generated by this force is equal to the number that is recorded as the top reading of your blood pressure. Sometimes without warning, the ventricles abnormally take over the atriums job of initiating the electrical impulse to begin a heartbeat, but unfortunately do not function as efficiently in this position. When this occurs, the heart's system of electrical conduction becomes chaotic and the potential exists that the heart cannot recover and thus deteriorates into a useless quivering mass of muscle. Without medical intervention,

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