Clinicians Patients & Caregivers AEDs & CPR

Updated March 12, 2012

SCA Awareness Month represents a critical initiative by the Heart Rhythm Society to raise awareness for SCA and help the public become more familiar with what it is, how it affects people and what can be done to help save lives. 

The Society's "Apples and Oranges" campaign is designed to educate people about the difference between a heart attack and SCA. The campaign targets heart attack survivors, who are at the highest risk for SCA, and stresses the importance of maintaining a healthy heart lifestyle and learning critical risk markers, especially their Ejection Fraction (EF).

About SCA

More than 70 percent of Americans not only underestimate the seriousness of SCA, but also believe SCA is a type of heart attack.

More than 250,000 deaths occur each year as a result of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In fact, SCA claims one life every two minutes, taking more lives each year than breast cancer, lung cancer or AIDS. To decrease the death toll from SCA, it is important for the U.S. public to understand what SCA is, what the symptoms and warning signs are and how to respond and prevent SCA from occurring.

The SCA Awareness Campaign is part of the Heart Rhythm Society's SCA 360° Initiative.

Latest News

• March 2012 — The newly released 'Sudden Cardiac Death Primary Prevention Protocols' algorithm is a comprehensive response tool that is designed to increase accurate diagnosis and survival of individuals at risk of SCA.
• October 2011 — Alcohol Intake and Obesity Among Significant Cause of SCD Independent of Coronary Artery Disease — new population-based study published in HeartRhythm analyzes age-specific causes of sudden cardiac death in more than 2,600 victims
• October 2011 — ECG Screenings in More Than 32,000 Young Adults Efficiently Identifies Potential Risk of SCD — new study proves the importance of electrocardiographic (ECG) screenings to identify heart abnormalities in young adults, including both athletes and non-athletes.
• September 23, 2011 — Navigating a National Approach to SCA Survival in Minneapolis, MN, was a collaborative effort with Heart Rhythm Society and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA). Selected presentation handouts are now available for download! Sessions included recent advances in preventing SCA and treating SCA patients, the pros and cons of athlete pre-participation evaluations, genetic testing and identification of patient psychosocial issues. Learn more »

The Society and SCA in the Media
Society leaders, including Immediate Past President Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS and 2009-2010 President Richard L. Page, MD, FHRS, have conducted numerous print and radio interviews that have helped the public understand the difference between SCA and heart attack, the concept behind the Society's SCA Awareness campaign.

The Society is committed to a long-term approach to educating the public and ultimately decreasing the number of lives claimed by SCA each year. National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month is an annual observance designated by the U.S. Congress in 2008 thanks to the efforts of the Heart Rhythm Society, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Coalition, physicians, allied professionals, patients and caregivers.

The 2011 SCA Awareness Campaign is supported by Boston Scientific and Medtronic