[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 153 (Wednesday, October 10, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2104]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      FIGHT SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LOIS CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 10, 2007

  Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of myself and 
Representative Chip Pickering to call attention to one of our Nation's 
leading causes of death--sudden cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, far too 
little is known and even less is being done to address the prevalence 
of this serious condition. Sudden cardiac arrest claims the lives of 
more than 250,000 Americans every year.
  Sudden Cardiac Arrest occurs abruptly and without warning, when the 
heart suddenly stops beating and cannot pump blood to the rest of the 
body. Contrary to widespread belief, sudden cardiac arrest is not the 
same as a heart attack. As the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Coalition has 
noted, if your heart were a house, cardiac arrest would be a problem 
with the electricity, while a heart attack is a problem with the 
plumbing.
  Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at anytime without 
warning. Unfortunately, even when there may be warning signs, we may 
not recognize their presence due to a lack of knowledge about what 
actually occurs during cardiac arrest.
  Such was the case for a young man from Southern California named 
Sebastian Hitzig. At age 24, Sebastian stepped on a toothpick, 
resulting in a staph infection that led to an inflammation of his 
heart. Several months after doctors believed he had recovered, 
Sebastian went to the gym for his regular workout, during which he 
suffered sudden cardiac arrest and nearly died. Thanks to a quick 
acting response team that shocked his heart back to its normal rhythm, 
Sebastian was literally brought back to life.
  Sebastian is one of the few lucky ones to live through a deadly 
sudden cardiac arrest event. We in Washington have made great strides 
fighting some of our Nation's deadliest killers. Our next step should 
be to commit to more research into the diagnosis, prevention, and 
treatment of sudden cardiac arrest, including increased awareness 
efforts to improve public knowledge of at-risk populations. We also 
must take steps to improve access to Automated External Defibrillators, 
AEDs, and implantable cardioverter defibrillators, ICD, to strengthen 
the ``chain of survival.''
  I ask all Members today to join us in calling for a focused effort to 
fight sudden cardiac arrest and to do so in honor of the countless 
individuals who survived sudden cardiac arrest and in memory of the 
more than 250,000 families each year whose loved ones are not as lucky 
as young Sebastian.

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