Suddent cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in the United States, claiming approximately 220,000 lives annually.  The primary cause of SCA is ventricular fibrillation, a life-threatening condition in which the heart's normal electrical signals become erratic, causing a heart to cease pumping bllod effectively.  Nearly 50,000 of these deaths could have been prevented if an AED had been available for immediate use at the time of the emergency.

The American Red Cross has a vision that all Americans will be within 4 minutes of an AED and someone trained to use it in the event of sudden cardiac arrest.

To meet this vision, the Red Cross is helping communities plan and implement access to defibrillation programs by providing  AED education and training, supporting state and federal AED legislation, as well as urging communities to obtain and place AEDs in public places.

For further assistance, contact one of the members of the AED team at national headquarters:

Kyle Majchrzak, (703) 206-7634,  majchrzakk@usa.redcross.org

Rick Sleutaris, (703)206-7632, sleutarisr@usa.redcross.org

Sandy Lovett, (703)206-7095, lovetts@usa.redcross.org