Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK

For those affected by a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and are a UK resident or expat.

Survivors, their rescuers, friends, family and medical people interested in this subject are all welcome.  For chat, support and help in related issues.

An SCA is when the heart stops beating suddenly and unexpectedly due to a malfunction in the hearts electrical system.  Unlike a heart attack the victim will lose consciousness instantly and unless an immediate chain of survival is in place the victim will most likely not survive.

The immediate cause of an SCA is usually an abnormality in the heart rhythm (arrhythmia).  The most common of these is ventricular fibrillation where the heart quivers uselessly instead of pumping.  Other main causes include heart disease, heart attack, heart defects and electrical problems in the heart.  Many survivors are termed idiopathic which means that no known cause was found for their SCA.

In the UK approximately 250 people a day experience an SCA, with less than 1 an hour surviving.  12-15 young people die each week from an SCA.  This means approximately 20 people a day join our unique club and have their world turned upside down.  With a better chain of survival system these numbers will surely increase.

Most survivors will agree that they are very lucky in that the chain of survival system worked for them.  However, survival brings its own issues e.g. physical, emotional, psychological, neurological, brain injury, family, work, financial and these are not just limited to the survivor.  It's a common theme that these are not being addressed adequately and this group aims to assist with dealing with them and to improve the lives of its members.

This group started on May 1st 2015 after an London meet up in February by some members of the Inspire SCA health forum.