Tomorrow I have an appointment with my Cardiologist. I have Mitral Valve Prolapse and because of the multiple autoimmune diseases that I have I’m at risk for heart problems. I also had some high blood pressure readings that are in the prehypertension range. I also have had an irregular heartbeat when I had major surgery about 5 years ago.

With my appointment just hours away, I read about Sudden Cardiac Arrest. As much as I know about medical issues this was something that I wasn’t aware of. St. Jude Medical has a website with information on SCA, the risk factors, the difference between heart attacks and SCA, two informative videos and a risk assessment. There’s also links to resources, doctors and patient stories.

With Sudden Cardiac Arrest the survival rate is very low. I’d recommend reading about this, taking the risk assessment and talking this over with your doctor. There’s a list of things you can do to lower your risk factors. The information also shows the need for having Automated External Defibrillators in areas where large groups of people gather, sporting events, in police cars, etc. These devices can help save a person having an SCA when time is of the essence.

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