SCA needs to be treated fast.  If treatment does not occur within minutes by someone ideally trained in CPR, using a defibrillator, then death is almost certain. Most corporate organisations fail to include an adequate response plan for SCA in their safety policies and training. Early defibrillation is critical, for it’s the only way to revert lethal heart rhythms. Simply calling an ambulance and waiting for help to arrive is not good enough because for every minute lost without defibrillation you lose 10% probability of survival..

If you consider that the average ambulance response time in most major cities is between 10 – 15 minutes, thereby opening a wide ‘survival gap’, the necessary help will arrive too late.

Take a moment to reflect on your own plan.  Do you have adequate steps in place to prevent the worst from happening? 

Investing in heart health awareness programs and response strategies for SCA is a wise move. If someone dies at your workplace from SCA, the ripple effects can include:

•      ● Increased stress for management and teams.
•      ● Lost productivity.
•      ● Increased absenteeism.
•      ● Poor morale and depression among co-workers and colleagues.

We’ve prepared the ‘Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Response Planner’ to help you and your team to implement the necessary strategy and resources to respond quickly and effectively to an emergency.

Facts and Stats

Around 30,000 Australians die from SCA each year. Unfortunately average survival rates for SCA’s that occur prior to the arrival of an ambulance only range between 5 - 10%. However with an effective SCA Plan in place it can be as high as 65% for witnessed arrests.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disease burden in Australia taking a precious life every 12 minutes. Most people at risk of CVD do not know it, yet it is largely preventable. Early detection and managing those at risk will improve the quality of life of all Australians while reducing personal, governmental and organisational costs - The Department of Health