October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month. Here’s what to know

October marks Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, recognizing the life-threatening condition.

Dr. Robert VerNooy, a cardiologist at Sentara RMH Medical Center, said sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating, and the biggest contributing factor is having an underlying condition that has impacted the heart muscle.

“An old or prior heart attack that leads to scar in the heart or the heart muscle, and at a later date you can develop this unstable rhythm,” VerNooy said.

VerNooy said if you see someone collapse, you should call an ambulance and go to them. He added that sudden cardiac arrest impacts thousands of people every year, and it has a survival rate of 10%.

“They might have some gasping or snorting noses. They could look like their eyes are open or rolled back,” VerNooy said.

VerNooy said it is important to perform CPR and use AEDs on someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest to help save the patient’s life.

“Hands-only compressions are as good as traditional CPR in studies,” VerNooy said. “It is the rate of the compression up to 100 a minute, and deep compressions that really make a difference.”

VerNooy said he gets questions from patients regarding their risk of having a sudden cardiac arrest. You can find more information on the condition here.