2016 AHA/ACC Clinical Performance and Quality Measures for Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death
Published: December 19, 2016
- Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is defined as the sudden cessation of cardiac activity so that the victim becomes unresponsive, with no normal breathing and no signs of circulation. Without immediate treatment, SCA progresses to sudden cardiac death (SCD).
- Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) happens over 350,000 times per year in the U.S., and victims are usually treated by emergency medical service personnel. Many deaths from OHCA may be preventable through the implementation of guideline recommendations for primary and secondary prevention of SCD.
- This document presents Clinical Performance and Quality Measures for implementation in preventive cardiology, resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care, heart failure, general cardiology and electrophysiology with the aim of reducing SCD.