The Heart Rhythm Society is excited to announce the launch of a new educational resource to help raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) among your patients. As an expert in this field, the Society looks to interact with you and provide treatment information for patients who are at risk of SCA and other heart rhythm disorders.

Our “Apples and Oranges” campaign [click to view SCA campaign poster] 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). The campaign will launch in October in conjunction with National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month. This annual observance was designated by Congress in 2008 thanks to the efforts of the Heart Rhythm Society, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Coalition, physicians, allied professionals, patients and caregivers.

As a way to start the conversation about SCA with your patients, we have developed a number of resources and materials that will be available in October and the months following. We recognize that SCA can be a difficult topic and patients often confuse it with heart attack, so our goal is to provide you with the resources to facilitate productive conversations with your patients. SCA Awareness Month provides an opportunity to launch an ongoing conversation with patients about the risks and treatment options associated with SCA.

Our SCA Awareness Campaign is part of the Society’s SCA 360° disease state initiative, aimed at providing comprehensive and relevant information and education on SCA.

Please visit www.HRSonline.org to view the tools and resources currently available for both professionals and patients. Some of the educational resources available online or coming soon include:

• Advancements in Sudden Cardiac Arrest, October 9 – 11, 2009 Chicago, IL – CME available (live course)
• Challenging Times in Lead Management: From Implant to Extraction or Abandonment, October 13, 2009 7:00 p.m., CME available (live webcast)
• Risk Stratification of the Healthy Athlete (webcast)
• SCA-related clinical trials
• Clinical Evaluation of the Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator (S-ICD) System (webcast)
• SCA patient materials (PDF, 63K)

Best,

Richard L. Page, MD, FHRS, CCDS
President, Heart Rhythm Society

 

The SCA Awareness Campaign is supported by an
unrestricted grant from St. Jude Medical.