If treatment for SCA exists, why are survival rates so low?
Time. Only 1 out of 20 SCA victims survives – though many of these lives could be saved through early defibrillation. With a brief window of opportunity for effective treatment, it is vital that responders reach the victim and defibrillate within the first ten minutes of SCA. The only way that this can occur is for AEDs to be readily available throughout the country and for responders, both lay and professional, to be trained in CPR and AED use. The American Red Cross specializes in such training.
