[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 116 (Tuesday, July 15, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6729-S6730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 93--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF 
           ``NATIONAL SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST AWARENESS MONTH''

  Mr. DORGAN (for himself and Mr. Crapo) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor and Pensions:

                            S. Con. Res. 93

       Whereas sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death 
     in the United States;
       Whereas sudden cardiac arrest takes the lives of more than 
     250,000 people in the United States each year, according to 
     the Heart Rhythm Society;
       Whereas anyone can experience sudden cardiac arrest, 
     including infants, high school athletes, and people in their 
     30s and 40s who have no sign of heart disease;
       Whereas sudden cardiac arrest is extremely deadly, with the 
     National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute giving the disease 
     a mortality rate of approximately 95 percent;
       Whereas to have a chance of surviving an attack, the 
     American Heart Association states that victims of sudden 
     cardiac arrest must receive a lifesaving defibrillation 
     within the first 4 to 6 minutes of an attack;

[[Page S6730]]

       Whereas for every minute that passes without a shock from 
     an automated external defibrillator, the chance of survival 
     decreases by approximately 10 percent;
       Whereas lifesaving treatments for sudden cardiac arrest are 
     effective if administered in time;
       Whereas according to joint research by the American College 
     of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, implantable 
     cardioverter defibrillators are 98 percent effective at 
     protecting people at risk for sudden cardiac arrest;
       Whereas according to the American Heart Association, 
     cardiopulmonary resuscitation and early defibrillation with 
     an automated external defibrillator more than double the 
     chances that a victim will survive;
       Whereas the Yale-New Haven Hospital and the New England 
     Journal of Medicine state that women and African-Americans 
     are at a higher risk than the general population for dying as 
     a result of sudden cardiac arrest, yet this fact is not well 
     known to people at risk;
       Whereas there is a need for comprehensive educational 
     efforts designed to increase awareness of sudden cardiac 
     arrest and related therapies among medical professionals and 
     the greater public in order to promote early detection and 
     proper treatment of this disease and to improve quality of 
     life; and
       Whereas the Heart Rhythm Society and the Sudden Cardiac 
     Arrest Coalition are preparing related public awareness and 
     education campaigns on sudden cardiac arrest to be held each 
     year during the month of October: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of ``National Sudden 
     Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month'';
       (2) supports efforts to educate people about sudden cardiac 
     arrest and to raise awareness about the risk of sudden 
     cardiac arrest, identifying warning signs, and the need to 
     seek medical attention in a timely manner;
       (3) acknowledges the critical importance of sudden cardiac 
     arrest awareness to improving national cardiovascular health; 
     and
       (4) calls upon the people of the United States to observe 
     this month with appropriate programs and activities.

                          ____________________