The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) has selected The Valley Hospital as the site of its Garden State Chapter. The SCAA is a national public advocacy organization that seeks to prevent unnecessary death from sudden cardiac arrest through better public awareness, better emergency response, and better access to preventative medical care for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

“The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association is thrilled that The Valley Hospital is helping us get started in the Ridgewood/Paramus area,” says Chris Chiames, executive director of the SCAA. “The physicians and staff at Valley realize the importance of taking the message of sudden cardiac arrest prevention outside the walls of the hospital and to involve their patients to go out into the community to help us make people smarter about the condition, risk factors and treatment options for the leading cause of death in this country.”

Sudden cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac death) occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is not a heart attack,” says Suneet Mittal, M.D., cardiac electrophysiologist at The Valley Hospital. “It is an electrical problem, not a plumbing problem.”

The heart has an internal electrical system that controls the rhythm of the heartbeat. Problems with the electrical system can cause abnormal heart rhythms, called arrhythmias. During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or it can stop beating. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart develops an arrhythmia that causes it to stop beating. This is different from a heart attack, which occurs when blood flow is blocked to a part of the heart muscle.

Ninety-five percent of people who have sudden cardiac arrest die from it, most within minutes. Rapid treatment with a defibrillator – a device that sends an electrical shock to the heart to restore its normal rhythm – can be lifesaving. The SCAA promotes the availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places like airports, office buildings and malls.