American Heart Association develops program to increase cardiac arrest survival

April 17, 2012 Highlights:.The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® Cardiac Resuscitation program aims to increase cardiac arrest survival by establishing systems of care to respond and treat cardiac arrest in communities throughout the United States.Deaths from cardiac arrest can decrease with efficient systems that quickly deliver appropriate treatment.DALLAS, April 17, 2012 — The American Heart Association has developed a program to help more people survive cardiac arrest. During a cardiac arrest, the heart stops beating, and unless it is restarted within minutes, the person usually dies. Mission: Lifeline® is expanding to include a Cardiac Resuscitation program to establish and streamline systems of care for response and treatment to improve survival rates. The program will provide public education and support for coordination among the lay public, public health agencies, legislators and city officials with emergency medical services (EMS) providers and hospitals to improve care for patients with cardiac arrest. Mission: Lifeline was originally launched in 2007 as a program to improve care for people suffering from ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)