[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6877]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 530--DESIGNATING THE WEEK BEGINNING OCTOBER 5, 2008, 
          AS ``NATIONAL SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST AWARENESS WEEK''

  Mr. DORGAN (for himself and Mr. Crapo) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 530

       Whereas sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death 
     in the United States;
       Whereas sudden cardiac 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 it 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;
       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 they can be 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 those 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 a 
     victim's chances of survival;
       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 of dying as 
     a result of sudden cardiac arrest, yet this fact is not well 
     known to those 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 early October is an appropriate time to observe 
     National Sudden Cardiac Awareness Week: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week beginning October 5, 2008, as 
     ``National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Week'';
       (2) supports--
       (A) the goals and ideals of National Sudden Cardiac Arrest 
     Awareness Week; and
       (B) 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 week with appropriate programs and activities.

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