PHA Warning: Sudden Cardiac Death Can Happen to Anyone

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or sudden cardiac death can happen to everyone, even to the most unlikely victim.

“It can happen to people with pre-existing heart disease or to those without any heart disease at all,” warned Dr. Jorge A. Sison, Philippine Heart Association (PHA) vice president, during a health forum conducted on Tuesday by the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) at Annabel’s Restaurant along Tomas Morato Ave. in Quezon City.

Dr. Sison added that even individuals that are healthy, including athletes, can experience SCA at the least expected time.

“No one, not even athletes or even doctors, can be spared from this SCA. It can certainly happen to anyone with or without heart disease,” said PHA Vice President Dr. Jorge Sison at a health forum in Quezon City on Tuesday.

SCA may happen among those without heart ailments in eventualities of electrocution, drowning, asthma attack, electrolytes imbalance, severe dehydration, and heat stroke.

The symptoms of SCA include fainting spells, chest pains, palpitations, or shortness of breath, especially during physical activities.

During SCA, when the heart stops, the lack of oxygenated blood can cause brain damage in only a few minutes.

Death or permanent brain damage can occur within four to six minutes.

Time is critical in helping an unconscious person who is not breathing and if no immediate action is taken, that can lead to untimely death.

The pre-existing heart ailments, on the other hand, include those with coronary artery disease, uncorrected high blood or hypertension, rheumatic heart disease, etc.

In the same forum, Dr. Sison said that misconception that athletes and physically active people are physically infallible is not true at all.

“Their hearts are enduring and perpetually strong. (But) for some athletes, extreme exercise might even promote SCA,” the PHA official said.

“The clarification is made in the thought that people who have always been fit and sporty are the last ones to acquire heart diseases,” Dr. Sison added.Diagnostic 2D Echo can provide excellent images of the heart, paracardiac structures, and the great vessels.

During a standard Echo test, the sound waves are directed to the heart from a small hand-held device called a transducer, which sends and receives signals.

Heart walls and valves reflect part of the sound waves back to the transducer to produce pictures of the heart.

These images appear in black and white and in color on a television screen.

They’re selectively recorded on videotape and special paper, and reviewed and interpreted by a cardiologist (heart specialist).

From the pictures, it is possible to measure the size of each part of the heart, to study motion and appearance of the valves and the function of the heart muscle.

The cardiologist then will use the measurements to determine how the heart is working and whether or not any abnormalities are present.

A Doppler Echo is often done at the same time in order to determine how the blood flows in the heart.

The swishing sounds heard during the test indicate blood flowing through the valves and chambers.

The PHA noted that among the more popular victims of SCA are basketball legend Samboy Lim and the late Gilbert Bulawan, triathlete veteran Reymond Cruz, and marathoners Manases Alfon Jr. and Army Major Arnold Lubang.

Due to the threat of SCA and SCD, the PHA said they are already looking forward to the implementation of the “Samboy Lim Bill” or the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Training Law.

PHA-CPR Advocacy Committee Chair Dr. Orlando Bugarin said performance of the CPR within the first four minutes of the SCA would be crucial in terms of minimizing the damage caused to an individual.

He said a victim of the SCA will only have a two percent chance of survival if he/she is not given a CPR, while someone who is given a CPR will have a 15 percent chance of surviving.

“Being given a CPR at the right time will be crucial in terms of preventing a victim from going to a vegetative state because each moment that the brain does not get the proper circulation of oxygen can have an effect in the motor capabilities of a person,” Dr. Bugarin explained.

According to former Pampanga Rep. Joseller ‘Yeng’ Guiao, they are expecting the House Bill No. 6204 to lapse into law by July 20.

It can be recalled that last May 23, Congress passed the CPR Bill and was just then a signature away to be enacted into law by then President Benigno S. Aquino III before he stepped down from power on June 30.

The PHA said that they are hopeful that President Rodrigo R. Duterte will support the bill by allowing it to lapse into law.

“Under the said anticipated law, the PHA would become the partner of the government in the implementation of this measure,” said Guiao, who was the one who authored the bill in the House of Representatives and awaiting for its lapsing into law as well as other advocates of it.

Under the bill, which was put with a face and body when dubbed as “Samboy Lim Bill,” CPR training would become mandatory for all students as part of the K to 12 Program of the Department of Education (DepEd) by making it part of the basic education curriculum.

As part of the basic curriculum, students will be required to undergo the training on CPR by accredited trainees led by PHA doctors.

The Department of Health (DOH), on the other hand, will provide the accreditation.

The head coach of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) said he believes that students in Grades 10 to 12 are already suited to undergo CPR training.

“It should not just be a one-time training for CPR because the students will just forget it. There must be a repeated and constant refreshing of the CPR knowledge until they graduate,” said Guiao.

He further said that having students with knowledge in doing CPR can produce “generation of lifesavers” which can save hundreds or even thousands of lives.

In addition, these students can even spread in their home and community the knowledge by teaching it to the members of their family or friends in the community.

The bill is also being looked up by the DOH as one of effective life-saving mechanisms in disaster-preparedness in line with its battle cry “Health for All, All for Health.” (PNA) SCS/LSJ