What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)?

SCA can happen when your heart starts beating dangerously fast and quivering, and cannot pump blood and oxygen effectively to your brain and body.

Sudden cardiac arrest is not a heart attack. A heart attack results from a blockage in one or more of the heart’s arteries — a "plumbing" problem. SCA is an electrical problem, which causes the heart to stop pumping blood. Some people are at higher risk of SCA than others. Risk factors include:

Prior heart attack
Heart failure
Family history of SCA
Personal history of SCA
Low ejection fraction
Diabetes
Obesity
Smoking

Sudden cardiac arrest strikes without warning. If untreated, it can lead to death in minutes. The only effective way to treat SCA is defibrillation. During defibrillation, an electrical shock is delivered to your heart to restore a normal heartbeat.


Normal Heartbeat	Heart Quivering in SCA	Facts about SCA

Take the SCA Risk Assessment to see if you or a loved one are at risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.